Master's thesis of Education: Implementation of project based learning in a training package context

Implementation of Project Based Learning in a Training Package Context Julie Wright

School of Education Design and Social Context Portfolio October 2007

An exegesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

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Certification

• Except where due acknowledgment has been made, this work is of the candidate alone. • The work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for any other academic award.

• The content of the exegesis is the result if work which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program.

______________________ date_________

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Abstract .............................................................................................................. 2

GLOSSARY OF TERMS ..................................................................................... 3

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 4

Chapter 2 CONTEXT ........................................................................................ 10

2.1 Perspective - Global ............................................................................................... 10 2.2 Perspective - National ............................................................................................ 12 2.3 Perspective - State .................................................................................................. 15 2.4 Perspective – Institutional...................................................................................... 16 2.5 Perspective - Personal ............................................................................................ 19

Chapter 3 A PROJECT BASED LEARNING MODEL IN THE TEXTILES, CLOTHING

and FOOTWEAR TRAINING PACKAGE .......................................................... 21

3.1 Competency Based Training .................................................................................. 21 3.2 Delivering The TCF Training Package in TAFE .................................................. 23 3.2.1 Educational Theory ................................................................................................ 29 3.3 Innovation through Training Packages .................................................................. 30 3.4 Program Structure through PBL ............................................................................. 32 3.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 36

Chapter 4 RESEARCH DESIGN .................................................................... 37

4.1 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................... 37 4.2 Participatory Action Research Methodology ......................................................... 38 4.3 Reflective Practice ................................................................................................. 41 4.4 Research Method ................................................................................................... 42 4.5 Data ......................................................................................................................... 45 4.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 47

Chapter 5 OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH DATA ................................................ 48

5.1 Student Teacher Forum 2001 ................................................................................. 48 5.2 Learner Surveys 2002 - 2004 ................................................................................. 50 5.3 Questionnaire 2003 ................................................................................................ 56 5.4 Student Experience Surveys 2002 and 2006 ......................................................... 57 5.5 Annual Program Reports 2002 and 2003............................................................... 59 5.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 60

Chapter 6 THEORISING PROJECT BASED LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION..62

6.1 Making PBL a legitimate choice in TAFE ........................................................... 62 6.1.1 The Theory/Practice Relationship ......................................................................... 63 6.2 What about the learners? ...................................................................................... 64 6.2.1 Developing the Contingent Thinker in TAFE ....................................................... 65 6.3 Teaching Strategies in PBL .................................................................................. 66 6.3.1 Teaching for Transfer ............................................................................................ 68 6.3.2 Experiential Teaching Practice .............................................................................. 72 6.4 The Changing Role of the Teacher ....................................................................... 73 6.4.1 Team Teaching ...................................................................................................... 74 6.4.2 Correct Sequencing to Facilitate Employment ..................................................... 75 6.4.3 Mentoring .............................................................................................................. 76 6.4.4 Where has the Curriculum gone? .......................................................................... 76 6.5 Assessment ........................................................................................................... 77 6.5.1 The purpose of assessment in Training Packages .................................................. 78 6.5.2 The Assessment Process ........................................................................................ 81 6.5.3 Portfolio Assessment ............................................................................................. 82 6.5.4 Professional Judgment .......................................................................................... 86 6.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 88

Chapter 7 CONCLUSIONS and IMPLICATIONS............................................. 89

7.1 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................... 89 7.2 Findings and Conclusions ..................................................................................... 90 7.3 Unexpected Outcomes of the Research ................................................................ 92 7.4 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 92 7.5 Recommendations and Implications ..................................................................... 93 7.6 The Research Experience ..................................................................................... 94

APPENDICES ................................................................................................... 95

Appendix A Appendix B Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G Appendix H Implementation of Strategic Review recommendations ................. 96 School of Fashion Group Forum .................................................... 97 Questionnaire 2003 Template and Responses .............................. 103 Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 ................................................. 107 Student Experience Survey 2006 .................................................. 114 Annual Program Report 2002 ....................................................... 120 Annual Program Report 2003 ....................................................... 124

References ..................................................................................................... 129

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Tables and Figures

Tables Table 1: Number of learner sample groups ................................................................................... 44

Figures Figure 1 Boyer Scholarship of Teaching: .............................................................................. 17 Figure 2 Unit of Competence TCF Training Package ........................................................... 25 Figure 3 The Action Research Spiral ..................................................................................... 43 Figure 4 Responses to Question 1 of Learner Survey 2002 - 2004 ...................................... 51 Figure 5 2006 Student Satisfaction Survey ............................................................................ 58 Figure 6 2002 Student Satisfaction Survey ............................................................................ 58

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Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Ian Robertson, for his encouragement, support and wise counsel.

His guidance has played an important part in bringing this project to completion.

Thanks also to the staff and students of the School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University for their

participation in the research. The success of the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program owes much to

their contribution.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank my first supervisor, Ern Reeders, who introduced me to the

concept of practitioner research. It will continue to influence my professional practice into the future.

To my husband Vin, and children Brendan and Sean, I would like to reserve a special thank you. Their

patience, encouragement and adaptability kept me going.

Finally, I would like to dedicate this work to my mother who, personally and professionally, has always

led by example.

Implementation of Project Based Learning In a Training Package Context

ABSTRACT

Training Packages form the basis upon which practitioners in the Vocational Education and

Training (VET) sector in Australia develop their pedagogical processes. As workplaces adapt

their practices to compete globally, demand for skilled and knowledgeable workers places

pressure on institutional training providers such as TAFE to develop training programs that

support the acquisition of higher order thinking skills in graduates. Using a competence based

framework as a backdrop, the research centres on the notion of the place of Project Based

Learning in a Training Package context. The research proposes that learning through projects is

an effective means of integrating Training Package outcomes with an instructional model that

engages learners in independent, flexible and reflective learning.

The research was conducted retrospectively from a case study of an AQF Level 6 Textile,

Clothing and Footwear Training Package Program at RMIT University TAFE. An Action

Research approach underpins the investigation, resulting in the profiling of teaching, learning and

assessment as areas in need of further examination. These defining themes are explored in the

context of the Project Based Learning model developed at RMIT, with consideration given to the

potential for broader application. The discussion concludes with a theoretical review of the new

understandings of pedagogy.

The study aims to establish that a constructive alignment exists between the behaviourist

approach of Training Packages and the more constructivist theories behind Project Based

Learning; rendering it a suitable instructional model that meets the needs of 21st century learners.

Australian Council of Trade Unions

GLOSSARY OF TERMS ACTU

Australian National Training Authority

ANTA

Australian Qualification Framework

AQF

Australian Quality Training Framework

AQTF

Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing

CAD/CAM

Competency Based Training

CBT

Department of Employment, Education and Training

DEET

Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development

DIIRD

Faculty of Education, Language and Community Service

FELCS

Higher Education

HE

Melbourne College of Textiles

MCT

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

OECD

The Australian Centre for Organisational, Vocational and Adult Learning

OVAL

Office of Training and Tertiary Education

OTTE

Participatory Action Research

PAR

Project Based Learning

PBL

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

RMIT

Training and Further Education

TAFE

Textiles, Clothing and Footwear

TCF

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

UNESCO

Vocational Education and Training

VET

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

The School of Fashion and Textiles is part of the Portfolio of Design and Social Context, situated

on the Brunswick Campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). RMIT is a

dual-sector University offering Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education and Training

(VET). Located within RMIT, the School of Fashion and Textiles is a major provider of

vocational education and training for the Textile, Clothing and Footwear industry, both in

Victoria and nationally. The Brunswick Campus offers vocational education in the workplace to

trainees and apprentices in the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) industries and on campus,

with a suite of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) training programs predominately at

Certificate and Diploma level.

The School of Fashion and Textiles is comprised of three departments of specialisation: Fashion,

Merchandising and Textile Design/Technology. As part of my role as a teacher in the Fashion

Department, I was invited to develop and implement a new Advanced Diploma Program to

complement the nested qualification structure of the existing Certificate and Diploma level

programs. The new Program became known as the Advanced Diploma of TCF (Fashion).

Together with a colleague, I was presented with the challenge of designing and delivering the

student learning experience for the Advanced Diploma of TCF (Fashion) Program and set about

constructing a new understanding of teaching and learning that dovetailed with both RMIT

University and industry training objectives. The Textile, Clothing and Footwear industry has

undergone a period of rapid change in recent years (ANTA, 2000). Like many industries with a

declining manufacturing base, TCF enterprises have moved aspects of their business offshore and

developed new skill sets to equip them to operate in an open market. National Training Reform

aimed at identifying and developing new knowledge requirements has resulted in the release of a

new framework for training in the form of a nationally accredited Textile, Clothing and Footwear

(TCF) Training Package. The TCF Training Package, released in 2000, adopts an unashamedly

‘industry driven’ approach (ANTA, 2000) in setting out standards for workplace competence

against which those in TCF workplaces and others wishing to enter the industry can be measured.

The standards at which a person is deemed competent at Certificate, Diploma and Advanced

Diploma level are described exponentially and referred to as Level four, five and six respectively.

Level 6 competencies, those applicable to the Advanced Diploma Program, are higher order

competencies; those skills that demand complex and analytical thought processes such as

communication, negotiation and problem solving; many of which occur naturally within the

workplace.

While it reflects workplace competence, the TCF Training Package is not a course of training

(ANTA, 2000). Much of the responsibility for the provision of detailed curriculum and support

materials falls to teachers and program developers to construct in response to rapidly changing

training needs (Smith & Keating, 2003). A suitable curriculum model was needed for the

Advanced Diploma (Fashion) as this was a program to be located in a TAFE environment, not the

workplace. Staff in the RMIT Fashion Department had limited exposure to the use of projects as

a learning model but emerging research indicated some success in using projects as a context for

learners to acquire and develop higher order problem solving skills and knowledge (Henry,

1994). Known as Project Based Learning (PBL), this was the instructional approach chosen to

deliver the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program.

The decision to subject the development and implementation of the Advanced Diploma (Fashion)

Program to the scrutiny of a research study arose out of an opportunity to participate in an

innovative knowledge generating exercise introduced by the RMIT Faculty of Education,

Language and Community Services (hereafter known as FELCS). The methodology that was

proposed by FELCS was to carry out research through applying a model of inquiry to an issue,

problem or change that was occurring in my workplace based on the notion that I could

investigate and improve my own professional practice. As a result, a convergence is established

between theory and practice; between the two components of project and research (FELCS,

2002). A clear distinction must be made here to clarify the scope of the project and also the

research. Fundamental to my project was the intent to develop and implement a Training Package

Program in an educational setting using Project Based Learning to enrich the experience of

learners in such a way that they would be able to transfer their knowledge, skills and attributes

into competence in the workplace. The research study, written reflectively, is situated within the

Fashion Department of RMIT TAFE at the Brunswick Campus and is a record of the process

conducted from the inception of the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program in 2001 through until

2004.

The research is designed around Participatory Action Research (PAR) which assumes that the

focus of study is about change and improvement of one’s situation. As the name suggests, this

methodology links action with research and together with its participatory, social nature,

appeared to be the ideal vehicle through which the implementation process could be evaluated.

One of the key characteristics of PAR is reflective practice that is built into a cycle of planned

action where, in this instance, learners and teachers became co-participants in program

development and improvement.

The research has uncovered substantial literature of the use of PBL in Higher Education,

particularly in the fields of engineering, nursing and mathematics, which is where it had its

origins. However, I have encountered very few detailed studies of its application in a VET

context. I have located my research in a TAFE environment that uses the national competency

structure in the hope that my research may assist TAFE teachers and others to implement this

approach as an innovative way to interpret Training Packages.

Chapter Two sets out a contextual framework for understanding the national competency

structure in a complex and rapidly changing vocational education environment. Using a global,

national and local perspective, observations have been made about the nature of work and the

connection between innovation, future prosperity and education. Some background is provided

on the Australian experience of VET and major policy milestones at Federal and State level are

identified. Competency Based Training (CBT) is introduced here and analysed through its

relationship with teaching practice. Throughout the chapter, there is evidence of a recurring

demand for vocational training to be flexible and responsive and this sets the scene for describing

RMIT’s decision to undertake a review of its strategic direction. It is hoped that the reader can

gain an understanding of the climate that prevailed at RMIT and an appreciation of the

influences, both internal and external that surrounded this research study.

Chapter Three explores the implementation of PBL at RMIT and familiarises the reader with the

local context in which the research was situated. The chapter looks at each of the four projects

undertaken by learners in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program and reflects upon how each

of the projects speaks to different sectors of the fashion industry. After reviewing the strengths

and weaknesses of CBT, various educational theories are discussed in light of their impact on

VET pedagogical practice in the 21st century and the chapter concludes by noting that a

constructivist approach, whereby learners build upon an existing knowledge base, appears to be

conducive to productive learning.

Chapters Four and Five are concerned with the justification of PAR as a suitable research

methodology. Critical to the chosen research method is the centrality of the researcher as a

participant in the process of change. I have used this characteristic as a response to the highly

contextual nature of the study undertaken as it has provided a framework around which I could

evaluate the program in a meaningful way. Using a qualitative approach, data was drawn from

field notes, questionnaires, surveys, journals and informal class discussions and then interpreted

through the action research spirals of plan, act, observe, and reflect. The findings, reported in

detail in Chapter Five, identify three emerging themes that underpinned the success of PBL in a

TAFE context.

These three themes: teaching, learning and assessment form the basis of analysis of Chapter Six

where the issue of transfer of learning is used as a thread of discussion. It emerges that PBL has

characteristics favourable to the development of knowledge transfer enabling the learner to apply

their skills and knowledge in different settings and situations. This is evidenced by supporting

data in Chapter Five. Evaluation of PBL proceeds by acknowledging the reconceptualised role of

the teacher and the effects of change to teaching practice and assessment. Other theoretical

perspectives are discussed in light of the success or otherwise of local initiatives and the narrative

concludes with comment on the notion of PBL as a compliant but creative approach to Training

Package implementation.

Chapter Seven revisits the initial research topic of the evaluation of PBL in a Training Package

context. Although discussion has been specifically related to its application in a TAFE learning

environment, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that PBL, as an instructional approach, has

broader application in a competency based system. As a newer model of teaching and learning,

its principles are consistent with the demand for more flexible and innovative approaches to VET

practice that promote knowledge development within the context of the immediate environment

and possibly beyond. The chapter concludes with recommendations and implications where it is

hoped that the experiences gained and lessons learned through the project case study and

articulated through the research will be open to further inquiry and application.

Chapter 2 CONTEXT

There are two interconnected issues that underpin this investigation and inform the research

study. The first is the Training Package environment and the second is Project Based Learning. I

wish to establish that there exists a tension between the two that makes the research meaningful

and provides a platform for further inquiry. This chapter discusses the occupational environment

from a global, national and institutional perspective and takes into account the social, political

and policy reforms that have become a key part of the Vocational Education and Training

(hereafter known as the VET) sector. The implication of adopting a training system that is

standards based and uses CBT as a model of curriculum is discussed. The turbulent conditions

that have shaped the development of the Australian Vocational Education and Training sector

over the past 20 years act as a backdrop against which the implementation of the Advanced

Diploma (Fashion) Program took place.

2.1 Perspective - Global

I will begin by reflecting upon the changes that have occurred in global educational and industrial

policy. Skills profiles in the workplace have changed over the past ten years to reflect the

acceleration of globalisation and technological change, resulting in the demand by employers for

professional and para-professional personnel (Stanwick, 2003). Technological and economic

growth, together with the concept of a global marketplace, is altering the way work is organised:

enterprises compete for labour and skills, which in turn places pressure on the education system

to deliver graduates who are capable of critical thought in an economy driven by innovation

(DEET, 2006).

The most highly rewarding activity in an innovation economy is transforming ideas into

new and better products and services and the most valuable commodity is the knowledge

needed to do it (OTTE, 2002, p 2).

It appears that the delivery of training is being shaped by the notion that a skilled and flexible

workforce is the key to economic development and education is pivotal to social change (Billett,

McKavanagh, Beven, Angus, Seddon, Gough, Hayes, & Robertson, 1999).

These changes in the world of work include the need for skill development that is timely,

occurs in the workplace where possible and assists organisations achieve a competitive

advantage (Mitchell, 2006, p 12) .

The International Commission on Education for the 21st Century (1996) report led by Jacques

Delors, identified four ‘pillars’ of education for the future: learning to know, learning to do,

learning to live together (and with others), and learning to be. UNESCO and the OECD (1996)

have identified lifelong learning as a key concept in educational policy, recognising that

economic prosperity can be realised through providing people with opportunities to gain ongoing

skills, knowledge and qualifications for use not only in employment but also for personal

fulfilment. In Australia, major reforms of the VET sector have occurred over the past twenty

years, influenced by a desire for change in workplace practices and the prospect of global

competitiveness. Progressively reduced tariff protection has created even more localised change

in the Textile Clothing and Footwear industry and put pressure on governments to respond.

2.2 Perspective - National

Australia’s awareness of the role that education plays in the development of a skilled workforce

is evidenced as early as 1987 in Australia Reconstructed (ACTU, 1987), the document produced

as an outcome of the ACTU’s mission to Western Europe. Delegates noted that generous

investment in vocational education was regarded as necessary to ensure the long-term

competitiveness of businesses, rather than a ‘knee jerk’ reaction to skill shortages. As Australia’s

political, economic and social structure has changed through globalisation, technological change

and an ageing workforce, successive governments have been concerned with achieving global

competitiveness by having a well educated and innovative workforce. The Training Reform

Agenda, a policy outcome of a bi-partisan think-tank led by the Hawke Labor Government,

initiated a lengthy period of educational reform leading to the recognition that a nationally

consistent system of training and qualifications was necessary. The Agenda proposed that

reforms of the training system should be:

industry led to meet the needs of industry •

• nationally accredited to industry competency standards

favourable to an open market system for the provision of educational and training •

services

• designed to improve access and equity (Misko, 1999, p 10) .

The four criteria listed above placed industry needs as foremost in the reform process. Notably,

the Agenda said very little about pedagogical practices and their significance in delivering

effective training (Billett et al., 1999; Smith & Keating, 2003).

In other countries where competency-based systems exist, such as the United Kingdom and

Germany, opinion is divided over the success or otherwise of this approach as a means of

developing a skilled and knowledgeable workforce (Chappell, Gonczi & Hager 2000, in Smith,

2002). In order to fully understand why this may be the case, it is worthwhile exploring the

circumstances surrounding the progressive introduction of Competency Based Training (CBT) as

the training mechanism by which the national competency standards could be measured and

assessed. From the late 1980s, Australia adopted Competency Based Training (CBT) based on

the notion of national competency standards to develop adaptability and flexibility in the

workforce (Billett et al., 1999). The take up of a competence based system in the Australian VET

sector was directed at improving international competitiveness (Misko, 1999) through a

nationally consistent model.

Competency based training is gradually replacing traditional time-based training. The

focus is moving from ‘inputs’ (providers and their needs) to ‘outputs’ or ‘outcomes’ (what

the client is competent to do, at work, on completion of training). These outcomes are the

skill needs of enterprises, defined by the industry or enterprise and expressed as

competency standards. (ANTA, 1994, p 9)

The importance of pedagogical practice as being significant for delivering effective training

appeared to be overlooked at that time due to the reform policy being directed towards industry

(Billett et al., 1999; Mulcahy & James, 1999) but twenty years later it is being acknowledged

again. In 1994, the Australian Government released the Working Nation Report, securing its

commitment towards improving Australia’s international competitiveness. This report outlined a

policy devoted to the development of a national training system which was:

• flexible

• able to respond to the needs of industry

• competitive

• placed value on the outcomes of training

• provided opportunities for disadvantaged students (Keating, 1994).

With the states and territories still maintaining their own training systems, inconsistencies in

curriculum and the determination of standards soon emerged, identifying CBT as problematic

(Smith, 2002). The task of uniting eight separate systems into one national training system was

prolonged and not without upheaval (Smith, 2002). In 1992, the Australian National Training

Authority (ANTA) was established resulting in a cooperative approach across all jurisdictions.

One of the key initiatives of ANTA was the facilitation of new methods of packaging training to

make it more amenable to learners in the workplace (Kemp, 1996), whilst preserving the model

of CBT. ANTA presided over the development of the National Training Framework and two

elements that emerged from it, namely the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) and

Training Packages. . The main emphasis of the AQTF is to register training organisations and put

in place quality assurance procedures (Stanwick, 2003). Both the AQTF and Training Packages

have been retained at the time of writing. Introduced in 1997, Training Packages are nationally

endorsed competency standards grouped together to cover industry areas and represent a range of

qualifications. Training Packages arrived on the scene as a remedy for the inconsistencies and

confusion experienced by industry and training providers as noted by the Honorable Dr. Kemp,

Minister for Schools and Vocational Education in his presentation to the 1996 Australian Council

for Private Education and Training:

Training packages will address the long standing criticism that elements of training, such

as competency standards, curriculum and assessment arrangements are often developed

independently of each other and fail to produce optimum quality training outcomes.

Training Packages have since heralded an important shift in the way vocational education is

delivered and as the training marketplace has opened up, private and public providers compete

for training among businesses in an effort to service a diverse range of clients and training

options (Kosky, 2002). Dr. Kemp’s optimism that Training Packages would attend to the

difficulties associated with delivering quality training outcomes has proven to be a little pre-

emptive as debate continues to surround the issue. In the ensuing ten years, Training Package

products and processes remain under constant review. A Training Package for the textile,

clothing and footwear industry has been developed in consultation with industry bodies to

accommodate the training needs of a myriad of clothing and related industries. The Textiles,

Clothing and Footwear (TCF) Training Package was approved and endorsed in 2000 for

introduction in 2001. This Training Package underpins the framework upon which the

Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program at RMIT is based and is dealt with in greater detail in

Chapter Three.

2.3 Perspective - State

In the domain of state policy direction, it is the Office of Training and Tertiary Education

(OTTE) that regulates a range of education and training programs and services in Victoria.

OTTE is located within the Victorian Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional

Development (DIIRD) and administers public funding for TAFE institutes.

Knowledge and Skills for the Innovation Economy 2002, a major policy statement released by

The Honorable Lynne Kosky, MP on behalf of the Victorian Labor Government places the VET

sector at the forefront of the vision of an innovative state, claiming that VET can assist in the

creation of an economy that:

• Has an educated and highly skilled workforce

• Is a leader in knowledge creation and innovation

• Is integrated and networked locally

• Has high levels of enterprise formation and business growth

• Is internationally integrated and

• Has a business environment and infrastructure base that facilitates business success

(Kosky, 2002).

In order to create the infrastructure to facilitate the necessary changes, the policy statement

identified a need to invigorate TAFE Institutes. To be successful in the future, TAFE’s need to

locate and empower their most effective innovators and communicators, set up centres of

excellence and adopt a more flexible approach to staff management and delivery models. Two

years before the State Government released its policy, RMIT as a dual-sector university with a

substantial TAFE presence had already begun a parallel move towards educational reform by way

of program renewal.

2.4 Perspective – Institutional

RMIT University’s 2000-2002 Academic Strategy drew heavily upon the work of Ernest Boyer,

whose book Scholarship Reconsidered argues the need for colleges and universities to undertake

‘new forms of scholarship’ that link teaching with research into ‘real-world’ problems (RMIT,

2000). Boyer proposed that universities traditionally separated the activities of teaching and

research, often affording greater status to the role of research at the expense of student learning.

He argued that there were four distinct but interconnected forms of scholarship: discovery,

application, integration and teaching that made up university activity. ‘Program Renewal’, an

educational design process authored by RMIT, became the facilitative mechanism to establish

these scholarly linkages. This research study was made possible through Program Renewal,

which highlighted the need for teachers to put their own teaching into a scholarly context and

make it the subject of reflection and research.

‘RMIT has adopted a different approach. Using the Boyer classification of scholarship,

staff involved in teaching and research are engaged in the different aspects of scholarship

shown in Figure 1. Program Renewal provides a means for reflecting on these links and

for integrating research and teaching within the experiences of both staff and students’

(RMIT, 2000, p 17).

Teaching

Integration

Application

Discovery

Teaching & Learning

Research & Development

Boyer Scholarship Model

Figure 1 Boyer Scholarship of Teaching (RMIT, 2000)

The School of Fashion and Textiles responded swiftly to the University’s Teaching and Learning

Strategy 2000–2002 by engaging an external company, Pivotal Consulting, to undertake a

strategic review on its behalf, to provide recommendations on the School’s future direction. The

Strategic Review Executive Summary identified a range of factors it deemed critical to success:

• Integrating resources and facilities across Higher Education (HE) and TAFE and the

implementation of an efficient streamlined educational model

• A structure that can evolve from apprenticeships to post-graduate with flexible exit and

entry points

• The need to be sensitive to the differences as much as the similarities between programs,

TAFE/HE and workplace training

• Developing articulated pathways – multiple entry and exit points.

• A student-centred approach to program structure, content and delivery

• The school maintains on-going dialogue with industry ensuring that it continues to be a

world leader in tertiary education

• Promote collaborative projects and industry partnerships.

(Artefact from own notes. No further source obtainable).

Central to the review team’s findings was the movement towards creativity and innovation of

educational opportunities, reflective of the larger RMIT vision. The review had as one of its key

objectives the need to develop new programs that built upon the activities specific to Training

Packages as well as advancing the reshaping of the School’s academic architecture (RMIT,

2001a). See APPENDIX A. Included in the School’s response to the Strategic Review was the

notion to develop, in the Fashion Program, a higher level TAFE Program than was currently

being offered.

Early in 2000, Program Managers in the Fashion Department were considering the viability of

expanding the suite of programs to include The Advanced Diploma of TCF (Fashion). With the

introduction of the TCF Training Package imminent, the Fashion Department resolved to

introduce a third tier to their set of nested programs, the Certificate 4 and Diploma. This would

allow an individual the option to complete the requirements for the Diploma only, or proceed to

the Advanced Diploma qualification. The correct positioning and content of the Advanced

Diploma within this framework was significant in its attempt to fulfil the University objectives of

respecting the differences and unique qualities of TAFE and HE programs (RMIT, 2001b). See

APPENDIX B. One of the significant drivers of change during that period was the urgency for

RMIT to be seen as operating on the leading edge of education: to offer something that its TAFE

competitor institutions could not.

The school needs to be perceived as being at the forefront of the industry and education

sectors in the areas of fashion and textiles. It is vital that we establish a reputation in the

area of research (Internal Memo, May 8, 2000).

Local competitor institutions are:

• Box Hill Institute .

• Gordon Institute of TAFE.

• Kangan Batman TAFE.

• Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE.

During the period prior to the commencement of Training Packages, none of the above institutes,

including RMIT, offered an Advanced Diploma of Clothing Production (Fashion) qualification.

2.5 Perspective - Personal

The Fashion Department has not always been part of RMIT and is a recent tenant on the

Brunswick Campus. Previously known as the Melbourne College of Textiles, many observers

regarded the Pascoe Vale-based college as the pre-eminent institution for supplying and

delivering high-quality trade-based education to the clothing industry. RMIT negotiated a merger

with Melbourne College of Textiles (MCT) during the latter part of the 1990’s that involved

relocating to the recently constructed Brunswick Campus. Staff, students and resources arrived in

2000 to a new purpose-built complex housing design and patternmaking studios, CAD/CAM

facilities and a fully equipped clothing factory. It was into this complicated environment, which

by default became part of RMIT that I arrived in 1999 as a sessional teacher,. I vividly recall the

upheaval and uncertainty felt amongst long-standing staff members of MCT for whom the

takeover brought even more intense feelings of insecurity already fuelled by the myriad of

external changes taking place. MCT had been delivering Clothing Production Programs using

Competency Based Training long before the implementation of Training Packages. Pre-

purchased national training ‘modules’ that used Learning Outcomes served as the method of

delivering accredited qualifications. There was a sense of mistrust amongst some long standing

staff about the new Training Packages and a weariness towards having to ‘teach the same thing

but in a different way’ (pers. com). Research indicates that the staff’s reaction was not

uncommon following a decade of reform resulting in a general feeling of displacement

(Cornford, 1999; Mulcahy & James, 1999). In contrast, other commentators believe that unlike

previous delivery models, designing learning tasks and activities from the ground up for Training

Package Programs can provide a unique opportunity to adopt a creative approach to interpretation

and implementation (Cornford, 2000).

Waterson ( in Smith & Keating, 2003, p 171) describes teachers developing their own curriculum

from Training Packages as an opportunity…creating space for innovative educators to explore

and colonise.

The TCF local manufacturing industry, around which so much of the Fashion Department

Programs were designed, was in decline raising quiet speculation amongst staff as to whether

their skills would match the new format. The TCF Training Package is oriented towards the

workplace with standards of performance reflecting ‘on the job’ requirements. With the merger

between Melbourne College of Textiles and RMIT, administrators were keen to address the issue

of articulation, particularly since RMIT City Campus also provides a three-year undergraduate

program. The inclusion of an Advanced Diploma Training Package Program at TAFE was

favourably received and motivated by an interest in creating articulation pathways between

Fashion TAFE and Higher Education (RMIT, 2001b). However this plan was never realised as

the Higher Education arm of the School of Fashion and Textiles eventually moved across to a

different portfolio.

Chapter 3 A PROJECT BASED LEARNING MODEL IN THE TEXTILES, CLOTHING and FOOTWEAR TRAINING PACKAGE This chapter examines the methodology of Project Based Learning (PBL) and discusses its

application as an instructional approach in Fashion TAFE at RMIT. PBL and CBT may appear to

some to be unlikely bedfellows when their relationship is discussed in terms of educational

worth. This is because critics have labelled CBT as ‘behaviourist’ in nature due to its reliance on

performance as a measure of competence (Gonczi, 1992), whereas PBL asserts itself as

‘constructivist’, meaning that learning is a process of building or constructing knowledge. PBL

is an approach more widely used in Higher Education, which is where it had its beginnings but I

have sought to evaluate its effectiveness in a TAFE environment. The AQF Levels 5 and 6 of the

Clothing Production Training Package contain performance criteria that require high levels of

abstract thought, for example, behaviour that is not easily observable and measurable, suggesting

that a behaviourist approach is not ideal. Thus, research suggest that constructivism is considered

more responsive to contemporary social and cultural demands and is emerging as a framework

that connects theory with practice (Gonczi, 2001) .

3.1 Competency Based Training

Competency Based Training at RMIT TAFE is a fundamental aspect of this research project. It

requires an understanding of the national training model and its relationship with suitable

pedagogical practices to satisfy the needs of all stakeholders. In this context, stakeholders are

identified as learners, teachers, RMIT and employers.

CBT has been at the foundation of curriculum design and assessment in VET for over a decade

even before the introduction of Training Packages where it has been retained as a vehicle through

which performance outcomes can be made explicit. Competence itself is a difficult concept.

Concerns surrounding its definition, its development and most importantly its assessment, have

generated much discussion as to what it means to be ‘competent’ (Chappell, Gonczi & Hager in

Foley, 2000).

The National Training Board, the body accountable for policy and regulation originally stated

that competence is characterised by four component skills:

1. The requirement to perform individual tasks (task skills)

2. The requirement to manage a number of different tasks within the job (task

management skills)

3. The requirement to respond to irregularities and breakdowns in routine

(contingency management skills)

4. The requirement to deal with the responsibilities and expectations of the work

environment (job/role environment skills), including working with others; and

to transfer the skills to new tasks and situations (NTB, 1992, p 29).

It is the fourth characteristic (job/role environment skills) that has recently come into focus in

calls for a wider definition of competence. Current research, based on OVAL (The Australian

Centre for Organisational, Vocational and Adult Learning), University of Technology, Sydney

2004 Research Working Papers 03-12 and 03-14, (Walsh, 2004), highlights a demand for

employees to possess attributes enabling them to function interactively, consistent with the trend

towards short-term employment and changing work practices. This is indicative of growing

awareness that workers need to be more than just technically skilled (Walsh, 2004). In fact, it is

the elusiveness of a definitive description of competence that prompts the following:

A person’s competence is something that lies behind what he or she can actually do .We

cannot observe his or her ‘competence’ (Smith & Keating, 2003, p 135) .

Of the many stakeholders who are directly exposed to the VET system, it is the education and

training providers who develop appropriate pedagogical practices to fit within the framework that

underpins competency standards. Literature within the vocational education community asserts

that the original CBT model, with its emphasis on the measurement of outcomes against specific

standards, gave scant regard to the development of cognitive and problem-solving abilities of

learners. Training Packages are reviewed every three years and awareness of this concern has led

to the introduction a number of initiatives such as Training Package Support Materials,

‘Reframing the Future’, and the embedding of employability skills.

3.2 Delivering The TCF Training Package in TAFE

Every Training Package consists of endorsed and non endorsed components. The endorsed

components, those that cannot be changed in any way, are:

• Competency Standards

• Assessment Guidelines

• Use of the Australian Quality Framework Levels of Qualification

The unendorsed components allow for customisation to meet specific training requirements and

include:

• Learning Strategies

• Assessment Materials

• Professional Development Materials

• Training Resources

Figure 2 illustrates a unit of competence drawn from the TCF Training Package. Each unit has

Elements, Performance Criteria, a Range of Variables and an Evidence Guide. These constitute

the endorsed components of the unit and ensure that the competencies are embedded in the

material delivered. Accompanying each unit is a list of Key Competencies. These are generic

skills that include communication, teamwork, problem solving and use of technology, the skills

needed for economic success in the global marketplace (Ballenden, 2001 in Stanwick, 2003) .

Whilst there are certain elements of the Training Package that are not negotiable, there is scope

for the training package developer to customise and contextualise the content and method of

delivery. For example, units of competence can be clustered together to form the ‘learning units’

required for the qualification, around which holistic learning experiences can be developed

(Down & Stewart, 2001) .

Figure 2 Unit of Competence TCF Training Package

The goal of the course team of the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program was to create a

learning curriculum that was based on appropriate pedagogical strategies, was compliant with the

Training Packages rules and implementation guidelines, and aligned with the institutional

objectives as outlined in Chapter Two.

Projects Director (Educational Development) Cathy Down indicated that RMIT places:

… equal value on both the learning journey of the students and their vocational

outcomes. It recognises that whilst Training Packages specify the outcomes to be

achieved and the rules for awarding national qualifications, it is at the RTO level that the

learning curriculum must be developed (Down & Stewart, 2001).

Similarly, The School of Fashion and Textiles indicated that any new programs brought on line

through Training Packages should include characteristics favourable to learning such as:

• a student-centred approach to program structure, content and delivery

• multiple entry and exit points

• collaborative industry partner projects

Integrating workplace learning into a TAFE context suggests an understanding of how students

learn most effectively in their surroundings. The consistent theme of integration of theory and

practice as evidenced by RMIT’s adoption of the Boyer model of scholarship where teaching is

integrated with research and speaks to the early work of the progressive educational theorists

such as Dewey and Kolb who each in their own way identified the value of personal learning in

both education as well as the business environment. Kolb, the most recent of the two theorists,

described his experiential learning model as ‘an integrated function of the total organism –

thinking, feeling, perceiving and behaving (Kolb, 1984, p 31). Likewise, Project Based Learning

is thought to provide a holistic approach to learning and assessment in an institutional

environment, and together with Kolb’s experiential learning model, provides a framework and, as

such, a link between education, work and personal development, which is a good starting point in

the discussion of effective vocational education.

3.2.1 Educational Theory

As a learning theory, behaviourism has been closely aligned with Competency Based Training

with its reliance on observable changes of behaviour (Beckett, 2004; Misko, 1999 and Smith,

Lowrie, Hill, Bush & Lobegeier, 1997 in Smith, 2002). This is noticeable in the units of

competence and elements contained in the Training Packages that guide the teacher’s preparation

of curriculum and learning resources. Using a behaviourist orientation, the learner’s role is

passive. The teacher’s role becomes one of knowledge enabler with assessment being the

indicator of knowledge uptake. The ‘checklist approach’ that underpins some assessment

practices at RMIT Fashion TAFE reinforces the fact that behaviourism is still used. Blunden

(1997), cautions teachers against basing teaching practice on purely behavioural outcomes as it

does not take into consideration the unobservable elements of learning, such as thinking, problem

solving and reasoning, but acknowledges that there are some instances where the achievement of

safe work practices requires a behaviourist approach. Clothing Production teachers have found

the behaviourist approach of instruction, demonstration and repetition most effective in their

teaching practice when teaching foundational technical skills on industrial sewing machines and

electric cutting equipment.

Cognitivism and objectivism, advances of the behaviourist notion, introduced the concept that

mental processes contribute to learning. Gagne’s contribution to the literature on objectivism

(elements of behaviourism and cognitivism) is still influential in vocational education through his

proposition that learning programs should be sequenced according to complexity to enhance

transfer of learning (Blunden, 1997). By contrast, Chappell (2003a) notes that both these

theoretical positions reinforce the role of the teacher/trainer in determining the strategies that will

permit transmission, rather than transfer of knowledge.

More recently, educational theorists have forecast and evaluated the changing needs of workers

and their workplaces resulting in newer understandings of pedagogy based upon constructivist

principles. Constructivism proposes that students learn by building upon their own existing

knowledge rather than receiving knowledge from others (Henry, 1994). Knowledge of and in

workplace practice is paramount in the sphere of vocational education. Piaget, together with

Dewey and Kolb, has developed the notion that intelligence is shaped by experience (Kolb,

1984).

It will be increasingly important that educators and trainers prepare

people to deal with new work situations and change. They need to be

able to manage change both individually and collaboratively as part of

a wider workplace community (Rumsey, 1999, p 1).

3.3 Innovation through Training Packages

Research indicates that changing work practices are having an influence on teaching and learning

in VET. A growing body of literature exists within the VET system that is devoted to explaining

how TAFE could become more flexible and relevant in its approach to Training Package

implementation in order to contribute to the emerging knowledge economy (Boud & Hawke,

2003; Callan, 2004; Kosky, 2002; Mitchell, 2003; OTTE, 2002; Simons, Meyers, Harris, &

Blom, 2003). What emerges from this discourse is a dialogue that challenges educational

providers to search for new ways to meet the needs of their customers in a competitive arena at a

local and organisational level. Mitchell (2003) suggests that practitioners can adopt innovative

practices to promote a learning centred agenda and lifelong learning, and defines innovation as

the implementation of, amongst other things, a new idea, method or process. A study by Simons

et al (2003) examines innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment whilst Callan

(2004) explores the concept more extensively and expresses innovation more in terms of

organisation and enterprise, rather than individual teachers interpreting Training Package

Programs in an innovative way. The development and implementation of the Advanced Diploma

(Fashion) Program demonstrates consistencies with the concepts of innovation outlined by

Mitchell (2003), Simons et al (2003) and Callan (2004) and has enjoyed the support and

endorsement of the RMIT Fashion Department to date. Of particular interest are the

recommendations made by Mitchell (2003, p 103), that indicate conditions for better support and

sustainability of an innovative project:

• innovation can be significantly enhanced by a deep knowledge of learners, learning styles,

teaching strategies and learning sites and contexts

• innovation can be significantly enhanced by a deep understanding of assessment

• innovation can only be transferred when a range of factors are in place (meaning that

some innovative ideas are context sensitive).

Putting suitable pedagogical practices that are learner centred, work centred and attribute focused

in place in an educational environment presents a challenge to the teaching practitioner who is

coming to terms with a reconceptualised VET environment as being less about developing skill

and more about developing people (Chappell, 2003a).

In spite of being devoid of curriculum or syllabus content, some commentators are of the opinion

that Training Packages allow teachers the scope to develop innovative teaching strategies that

encourage learners to develop their own personal constructs (Hawke & Cornford, 1998;

Waterhouse, 2000).The proposition that high-quality training can emerge from Training Packages

is advanced by Lewis (2000) and Scollay (2000), who similarly agree that successful

implementation of Training Packages rests with the professional pedagogical knowledge that a

committed teacher possesses. However, this view is not uncontested. Smith (2002) presents a

view that Training Packages are disadvantageous for learners not exposed to a work environment

as demonstration of competence often requires exposure to and knowledge of the workplace.

Smith’s suggestion challenges the authenticity of delivering Training Packages to TAFE students,

who make up 85% of accredited VET training, and highlights the difficulties experienced by

training providers as they endeavour to construct appropriate learning activities for a student

cohort largely comprised of learners who have no access to a workplace (Smith, 2002).

Whilst PBL offers a simulated learning experience, some industry experts have mixed views

regarding the authenticity of using simulations to assess competence, particularly in the higher

AQF levels, citing that competence can only be acquired and assessed on the job (Boorman,

2001). Meeting this challenge with Diploma and Advanced Diploma level qualifications is

particularly contentious in a TAFE setting with learners studying management-related

competencies without access to a workplace environment.

3.4 Program Structure through PBL

A major assessment requirement of the AQF Level 6 qualification is the demonstration of the

ability to solve complex problems. Project Based Learning (PBL) the instructional model that

organises learning around projects (Thomas, 2000) has been favoured as the method of delivery

for the Advanced Diploma Program due to the value of its learning strategies to teaching practice.

PBL is grounded in a constructivist, learner-centred approach and the active participation from

students is critical to its success. As an instructional approach, PBL has garnered particular

attention in the fields of cognitive science and engineering that has much to do with its

association with constructivist learning practices and the development of higher-order cognitive

skills. Constructivists place the learner at the centre of their own knowledge building giving rise

to a ‘general agreement’ that learning is ‘context dependent, socially mediated and situated in the

‘real-world- of the learner’(Chappell, 2003b, p 3).

Commentators have encountered difficulties in locating a universally accepted model of Project

Based Learning (PBL), resulting in a variety of practices being utilised. Thomas (2000, p 4) has

identified five defining features that a project must have in order to be considered an instance of

PBL:

• Project-based learning projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum

• project-based learning projects are focused on questions or problems that ‘drive’

students to encounter the central concepts and principles of a discipline

• projects involve students in a constructive investigation

• projects are student-driven to some significant degree and

• projects are realistic, not school-like.

Project-based learning shares many characteristics with problem-based learning. Both approaches

are student centred, collaborative and use authentic ‘real world’ issues to enhance learning.

However in Project-based learning it is the project that is the end product (Uden & Beaumont,

2006) rather than finding a solution to a problem. The models of PBL introduced at RMIT take

into account the policy frameworks and practical considerations available at the time of

implementation.

The Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program is a full-time course of study undertaken over four

terms of one academic year. Eight hundred student contact hours are allocated, averaged over two

to three days per week. Four separate Term Projects are offered, each project is comprised of a

cluster of four to five competencies that are grouped together to form discrete units of

assessment. Each project addresses a different sector of the fashion industry, and in so doing

gives an overview of career options. Each project is of ten weeks duration and is structured in

such a way that valuable skills, knowledge and attributes are developed. The projects are

evaluated on subject matter to ensure the scope of work is within the learner’s capability and

every project is reflective of different disciplines in the fashion industry. Three of the projects are

undertaken individually and the fourth is a group submission.

PBL is not a dominant feature of the lower level programs within the Fashion Department where

a tradition of face-to-face teaching is used to embed technical skills such as use of industrial

sewing machines and garment patternmaking. In the lower levels, learning is fragmented because

of practical constraints such as timetabling and teacher availability, although efforts are being

made during planning to develop a more cohesive approach. The highly practical nature of the

Certificate 4 and Diploma Fashion Programs and the need to consolidate technical skills acts as a

practical and pedagogical disincentive to exposing learners too early to project work. Henry

(1994) notes that a systematic introduction to PBL beginning with a ‘structured’ format in the

lower years and thereafter increasing the difficulty and scope of the projects is beneficial in

allowing students to prepare and develop the various skills involved.

The four projects can be summarized as follows:

Project 1 – ‘Small Business”

Students are required to develop a viable fashion ‘small business’ concept that can withstand

scrutiny by financial stakeholders such as banks, business partners, franchisers. External

relationships are developed with existing business enterprises, suppliers and potential customers.

The outcome of the project is a collection of ‘artefacts’ that include design/development

concepts, a small collection of sample garments and supporting documentation in the form of a

Small Business Financial Report. These artefacts are presented by the learners, in an open

exhibition, to a panel of teacher/assessors who act as prospective buyers/financiers.

Project 2 – ‘Elective” Students own choice – Exploratory Design’

Students select their own topic to explore using local or international design competition briefs as

a basis for their learning. Choices are often made using considerations such as the allure of

competition prize money, as enticement, and the degree of personal challenge involved. This

project appeals to the creativity of learners and produces mostly avant-garde ‘fashion as art’

pieces. Internal assessment is conducted as for Project 1. Students also undergo a form of public

external assessment from competition judges who are usually renowned within the industry.

Winning Fashion Design Competitions has proven to be useful to past RMIT students by way of

exposure and job prospects.

Project 3 – Industry Partner Project

The engagement of a suitable industry partner enhances the learning activities provided in this

project. As well as setting one brief for all students to investigate, the industry partner involved

supplies resources and access to their workplace. Groups of 3 to 4 students form ‘companies’.

They engage in collaborative practices, competing against each other to deliver and present a

garment range that best meets the industry partner’s set brief. The industry partner contributes

valuable feedback through full participation in the assessment process.

Project 4 – Manufacture and Quality Assurance

In spite of its name, there is no requirement in this project to produce garments on campus.

Instead, students are encouraged to arrange their own field study placement with a company that

develops fashion product either on or offshore. The duration of study placement relies on the

capacity and location of the enterprise to accommodate students. This can range from three days

to full-time on-going employment. Such a disparity has been found to cause inconsistencies in the

depth and range of information sourced. Therefore, students with minimal placement time are

encouraged to seek another company with which they can make comparisons. Students not

directly involved in field study placement remain on campus attending tutorials concerning

various contemporary manufacturing models. Assessment can be conducted in the workplace for

students who have secured full-time employment as a result of the project.

The outcome of each project is a ‘product’ and students are assessed on the artefact together with

all the development work that was completed during the process. This portfolio of evidence

forms the basis of assessment. Assessment criteria are informed by competency standards drawn

from the TCF Training Package.

3.5 Conclusion

It has been worthwhile to understand how different educational theories have informed VET

pedagogical practice leading to a recognition and improvement of training models in the

continually evolving VET sector. After a brief introduction to PBL, much of this chapter has been

devoted to familiarising the reader with contextual details about the projects undertaken by

learners in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program. The following chapter introduces the

reader to participatory action research as the methodology used to evaluate the effectiveness of

applying PBL in a TAFE context. Details are provided regarding the methods used to gather

information and data collection.

Chapter 4 RESEARCH DESIGN

The purpose of this study was to apply teaching and learning research to an issue, problem or

change that was occurring in my workplace. As a practitioner/researcher, I sought a line of

inquiry that explicitly linked learning with research and was introduced to Participatory Action

Research (PAR) as part of the project induction. I quickly noted its suitability to the particular

issue I sought to change. A characteristic of PAR is its spirals of plan, act, observe and reflect

(Fig. 3) that allows the practitioner researcher to analyse a new initiative to find out what works,

what doesn’t and act accordingly. The Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program was a pilot

program already being delivered to clients. PAR provided a framework around which I could

become a participant in a process of change that was highly contextual and one through which I

believed that the effectiveness of the program could be evaluated in a meaningful way. This

chapter defends Participatory Action Research as the research design, discusses how the research

was conducted and makes comment about ethical issues arising from my position as both teacher

and researcher.

4.1 Theoretical Framework

Jarvis (1996, p 45) describes the inclination to revert to habit as the development of a guiding

personal theory which is profoundly influenced by the life history and biography of the

practitioner. Practitioner-based action research offers an opportunity to challenge old habits

cultivated through lived experience with a process of inquiry. When a practitioner encounters an

unexpected problem or experience foreign to her personal theory, a ‘disjuncture’ (Jarvis, 1996) or

‘critical incident’ (McTaggart, 1991) occurs. As she attempts to make sense of the situation

through reflexive, critical analysis, deeper understanding emerges when the ‘critical incident’ is

incorporated with personal theory. As a teacher, I am constantly analysing my own practice,

usually using a range of informal strategies to identify what worked and what didn’t. As a result,

I rarely teach the same lesson twice in exactly the same way, preferring to draw upon the

reactions and feedback from learners and members of the teaching cohort as a guide. This same

approach is reflected in participative, action – oriented, ‘practice research’ (Wadsworth, 1998)

which, due to its practical and social nature, became the vehicle through which the curriculum

content and structure for the RMIT Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program was evaluated.

4.2 Participatory Action Research Methodology

Participatory Action Research is a form of ‘collective, self-reflective inquiry’ (Kemmis &

McTaggart, 1988, p 5) that features the researcher as a participant in an investigation to examine,

change and improve practice. It is this active role of the researcher that differentiates action

research from other conventional research approaches (Corey in McTaggart, 1991). Action

Research has at its core the dual aims of action and research; ‘action’ to bring about change in

community, organisation or program and ‘research’ to increase understanding on the part of the

researcher, the client, or both (Dick, 1999). It is the experimental and social nature of this method

of research that defines it as a way of trying out ideas in practice that lead to improvement and

new knowledge.

The ‘evolving methodology’ (Jennings & Graham, 1996 in James & Mulcahy, 2000) of PAR as a

method of social research was pioneered in the early work of Kurt Lewin in the 1940’s who

explored the link between theory and practice (Lewin, 1951). After falling from favour during the

1950’s, as research method it experienced a resurgence in the 1960’s, advanced by Paolo Freire

and his examination of the emancipatory power of reflection in education (Freire, 1972). The use

of action research as a methodology in an educational context can be traced to the United

Kingdom in the 1970’s where it was applied as a means of investigating curriculum

improvements. More recently, its adoption in Australia has attracted proponents such as Stephen

Kemmis and Robin McTaggart who have been internationally influential in ‘articulating the

theory and practice of action research’ (Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988).

Wadsworth (1998) describes PAR as

… research which involves all relevant parties in actively examining together current

action (which they experience as problematic) in order to change and improve it.

( http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/ari/p-ywadsworth98.html) accessed May 24,

2007.

The notion of the researcher participating in the problematising of issues and challenges is at

odds with other conventional methods of social research in that action, rather than hypothesis,

drives the research forward (Corey in McTaggart, 1991). This reconceptualisation of the role of

the researcher is further explained by Habermas, in McTaggart (1991), who refers to three

defensible forms of science: the empirical, the hermeneutic (or interpretive) and the critical. Used

in more conventional, and possibly linear, professional research, a hypothesis grounded in

empirical (quantitative) data is tested and conclusions drawn. This orthodox form of research is

sometimes undertaken ‘for its own sake’(Wadsworth, 1998, p 1) and the researcher is not central

to the process. By contrast, action research aligns itself within an interpretive and critical

theoretical perspective which means that an effort is made to understand and improve existing

practices thereby placing the researcher at the centre of the inquiry. Research begins by

acknowledging that a problem exists even though the problem may not be clearly articulated.

Wadsworth (1998) describes emergent problems as ‘hunches’ that are progressively unpacked,

evaluated and acted upon. It is the ability to critically assess and reflect on one’s interpretation of

events that changes the role of the researcher from ‘disinterested objective observer’ (McTaggart,

1991) to co-participant. Carr and Kemmis (1986) and Grundy (cited in McTaggart, 1991) have

carried through the assertion that critically informed practice (or praxis) is necessary for action

research to be validly linked to an epistemological theory. Using the three conceptualisations of

action research: Technical, Practical, and Critical, commentators including Grundy (cited in

McTaggart, 1991), Carr & Kemmis (1986), and Kemmis & McTaggart (1988) have helped me to

understand how, as I have moved through these three phases, I have developed ‘actionable

knowledge’ that seeks to change and improve learners’ experiences: an ongoing aim of this

action research study. Crawford (1995, p 239) describes actionable knowledge as that which can

‘change professional practice or social institutions through the active and transformative

participation of those working within a particular setting’.

The ‘Technical’ form of knowledge making aims to increase or decrease the incidence of

particular outcomes. At the commencement of the project I relied upon my ‘personal construct

theory’ of teaching experience to experiment with different teaching strategies mainly using trial

and error to see what worked best. As the project continued the teaching cohort collectively but

tentatively developed new practices although these were still situated within what we perceived

to be the interpretation of Training Packages. This progression, known as the ‘Practical’ form,

aims to improve and inform the practical decision making of practitioners.

The most transformative mode of knowledge making is the ‘Critical’ (or emancipatory) form of

action research which positions the practitioner/researcher as an agent of change who uses

authentic understanding to enact transformative practices. In this respect, the appropriateness of

the action is highly contextual prompting Schön (1987) to argue that practitioner knowledge,

based on performativity, exhibits sufficient rigour and relevance to satisfy the notion of

relationship between the high ground of theoretical, or propositional knowledge and the lowly

swamp of practice (Schon, 1987 cited in Chambers, 1997, p 190).

4.3 Reflective Practice

The process of critically examining one’s theoretical perspective is what Schön describes as

reflective practice and constitutes a necessary part of action research, although McMahon (1999,

in James & Mulcahy, 2000) makes a distinction between the two. McMahon suggests that,

...reflective practice can be used to identify problems, action research can seek to provide

solutions’ (James & Mulcahy, 2000, p 168).

It can be argued that to merely understand and act upon the solutions that emerge through the

project, renders one guilty of what Argyris and Schön (1978) describe as single-loop learning, a

situation where we don’t learn from our or other’s mistakes, thus resulting in failure to achieve

desired results. By engaging in double loop learning, we look beyond the surface nature of our

problem or situation and engage in critical reflection. This kind of inquiry enables the practitioner

to become contextually sensitive to why things are done in a certain way and to probe for

assumptions, values, and beliefs that lay beneath people’s actions (Marsick, 1988). The exegesis

undertaken as a component of this research study could be considered to be ‘double-loop

learning’. This is evidenced by examination and critical analysis of the political and social

context in which the project is located. By engaging in such intense scrutiny of normal workplace

procedures, I was unwittingly becoming more retrospective, or as Steier (1991, p 2 in Redmond,

2004) notes: ‘reflexive’, meaning ‘a turning back of one’s experience upon oneself’. Similar to

other commentators, I have at times felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, travelling along a

road of twists and turns, with the dilemmas and uncertainties of a practitioner research project. I

was led down blind alleys, wasted time following intriguingly deceptive ‘hunches’ that never

materialised, stared down incarnations of a wicked witch in the form of institutional conflict and

my own self-doubt. All the while, I was accompanied by trusty co-participants and colleagues

whose practical wisdom, values and belief in the integrity of this form of research gave me the

courage and heart not just to continue, but to complete. Hodgkinson, (in McTaggart, 1991, p 14)

could have easily discarded my efforts and interest in ‘scholarly research’ as ‘amateurish’ and a

‘weak version of what professional researchers were doing’, however, from my perspective, the

documented link between action research and curriculum as a field of inquiry (Kemmis & Stake,

1988; McTaggart, 1991; Usher, Bryant, & Johnston, 1997) left me in no doubt that I was guided

towards the ‘only legitimate option for educational researchers’ (McTaggart, 1991) and seemed

to be an entirely appropriate approach for my particular situation.

4.4 Research Method

Action research is distinguished by its spiral of four steps: plan, act, observe and reflect (Figure

3). The cyclical nature of action research means that the evaluative process can commence at any

stage, but usually begins as a plan of action for improvement or change. Four long Action

Research Cycles were trialled and evaluated over the period of this research. Newcomers to

action research are cautioned against undertaking such long loop cycles as difficulties

maintaining commitment and a lack of observable progress can be disheartening (Kemmis &

McTaggart, 1988). I approached the task this way because the Advanced Diploma (Fashion)

Program extended over a full year. Four independent projects existed within the year long

Program, and although they had procedural similarities, the focus of each was different. In order

to capture and act upon issues in context as they emerged, the Program was allowed to progress

through the full-year cycle.

The Action Research Spiral

REFLECT

PLANNNN

REFLECT

REVISE PLANNNN

ACT & OBSERVE

Figure 3 The Action Research Spiral

(Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988, p 11)

Figure 3 The Action Research Spiral

(Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988 p 11)

The inclusion of participants as part of the research process highlights the social nature of this

type of approach, whereby the active involvement of others through shared knowledge can

contribute to the identification and resolution of problems.

Wadsworth (1998) describes those who are researched upon as the critical reference group,

meaning those for whom the problem or issue is about. In this instance, the students were central

to the project’s focus which was the implementation of PBL in a Training Package environment.

Their opinions, thoughts and feelings contributed significantly to the eventual outcomes of this

highly situated research. For this reason, I have identified them as the critical reference group.

Table 1 lists the number of students enrolled in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program over

Year of enrolment 2001 2002 2003 2004

Number of students 11 18 16 14

the duration of the research study.

Table 1: Number of learner sample groups

Researching on/with my students called into question my role as both practitioner and researcher.

The intimate, daily contact and familiarity between teacher and student had the potential to raise

ethical concerns due to the inequality and constraints of the teacher/student relationship so that

the project was categorised by the ethics committee as Risk Level 2.

Carr and Kemmis (in McTaggart, 1991, p 45) advise that

…when status and power differentials exist among participants, these must be suspended

to allow collective work to begin, but combated in the course of that work.

In order to minimise the perceived risk of vulnerability to this group, participants were issued a

plain language statement with consent form and advised of the nature of the investigation. A

teaching colleague, not associated with the project, was recruited to act in a supervisory role to

distribute and collect general surveys and questionnaires. Subjects were informed of the

voluntary nature of their participation and reassured that their responses would be anonymous.

Student subjects were assured that participation was truly voluntary and their refusal to

participate would have no bearing on their academic assessment.

In order to evaluate the Advanced Diploma Program in a true and fair manner, I had to

acknowledge that my own performance could be scrutinised by learners and peers alike.

This was dealt with by supplying non-threatening conditions for learners to speak and write

freely. Participation in any written questionnaires concerning the project was optional and

anonymity guaranteed. Questionnaires generated through the project were left for collection in a

designated area and Student Satisfaction Surveys generated by RMIT were distributed and

collected by a neutral third party. Students were reassured that their input was a valuable

contribution towards enhancing the quality of student learning and program improvement.

Learners valued being part of a wider community or continuum of learning through the tentative

nurturing of an ‘alumni’ group. This initiative brought into focus a sense of empowerment and

authority for learners to speak out confidently on issues of concern, as much for their own

resolution, as for those following them into the Advanced Diploma Program.

4.5 Data

Data sources captured in the self-reflective spirals of this research project and analysed in the

following chapter, relate directly to the learning experiences of student participants of the

Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program. The raw data were gathered using a variety of formal and

informal means. The following data are listed chronologically for interpretation in Chapter Five.

A 2001 Student Teacher Forum comprised 11students and 3 teachers and was conducted at the

completion of the first ten weeks of the inaugural Program. Information was drawn from students

and teachers alike, brainstorming their opinions of ‘what worked’ and ‘what didn’t’. Written

responses were elicited from seven students and these responses, together with my own field

notes provide the basis for analysis. In 2002, the course team generated a learner survey that was

distributed to a cohort of 18 students. It consisted of open ended questions regarding the students’

perception of their own learning experience. During the same year, official RMIT statistics in the

form of Student Experience Surveys were used as data and are presented for here for analysis.

The RMIT Student Experience Survey measures the student experience in relation to good

teaching, generic skills, appropriate assessment, the learning experience and overall satisfaction.

In 2003, a questionnaire initiated by the course team and completed by 9 student participants

contained open ended questions designed to extract information about an issue of concern which

had emerged. The following year, a learner survey originally distributed in 2002 was reissued in

2004 and completed by 14 students. The RMIT Student Experience Survey results from 2006

were also referenced to provide comparisons with those from 2002.

A research study such as this, which relies upon qualitative evaluation, is less structured and

draws data from a range of sources including conversations, observations, journals and informal

class discussions. These data sources have proven to be the most difficult to record and present

for analysis. Boucher (2001 in FELCS, 2002) describes this process as immersing oneself in the

data and looking for confirmation or contradiction of identifying themes. Other less formal

sources of data, specifically the students’ completed project portfolios, were also accessed to gain

valuable information about teaching praxis and the students’ learning experience but are not

presented explicitly for analysis in the following chapter. Instead, the knowledge that these

intangible data sources imparted is embedded throughout Chapter 6 as part of the theorisation of

PBL.

The participation of the teaching team of the Advanced Diploma Program was also handled in a

more subtle manner, characterised by an emphasis on context, process and change. In the

complex and often confusing situations that emerged, their contribution is more recognisable in

the technical and dialogical aspects of the project ‘made through deploying intuitive knowledge

acquired through experience, as well as strategic knowledge gained through conscious

reflection’(James, 1999 in James & Mulcahy, 2000, p 518).

4.6 Conclusion

I have chosen to locate my research in the critical/emancipatory perspective of Participatory

Action Research. In so doing, my aim has been to develop new teaching and learning practices

that resolve the tension between the behaviourist nature of Training Packages and the desired

learning approach of PBL. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this application the next

chapter is devoted to analysis of the data. Data were collected from a variety of sources to

establish a basis upon which to compare later findings. After analysing the original data, I was

able to form generalisations which could be verified with data from other sources. This technique

of triangulation via multiple sources allowed me to compare primary and secondary research

evidence in order to judge whether improvements were happening so that when subsequent data

were reviewed it was possible to see if changes had taken place as a result of my actions (McNiff,

2002). The next chapter is concerned with extracting meaning from the data and identifying three

main themes that inform the research from hereon. The effectiveness of the use of PBL as an

instructional approach in a TAFE Training Package Program is evaluated from the perspectives

of the themes of Learning, Teaching and Assessment.

Chapter 5 OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH DATA

Using the critical theorist approach that is PAR, this chapter seeks to test the relationship between

thought and action (Greenwood & Levin, 1998). I have observed and elicited numerous responses

from participants that fulfil the social and interpretive nature of an action research approach and

now proceed onto the evaluation process. This chapter builds on discussion from the preceding

chapter to illustrate how the gathered data were interpreted. Examples are given and linked

directly to the emergent themes of Teaching and Learning and Assessment.

5.1 Student Teacher Forum 2001

The purpose of the Student Teacher Forum 2001 was for teachers of the Advanced Diploma

(Fashion) Program to engage in open and forthright dialogue with their students to determine

satisfaction levels regarding the new Program and its mode of learning (PBL). It was the

intention of the teaching staff, and me as practitioner/researcher to use the data from the forum to

plan further improvements. The Forum was conducted in the Council Room of RMIT Brunswick

Campus after the completion of the first project – Small Business. Three staff members

responsible for delivering the Advanced Diploma Program were present. After experiencing ten

weeks of the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program, each of the 11 students enrolled in the initial

program were invited to comment on

• what worked for them

• what didn’t work for them.

During the discussion, verbal and written feedback was gathered. Reflecting upon the robust

discussion that ensued, I was alerted to the sensitivities and power imbalance that is part of the

teacher/student/researcher relationship. This did not deter students in the pilot program from

being openly critical of the new mode of learning (PBL) and the perceived lack of teacher

support. Students were invited to vocalise as well as commit their thoughts to paper. These

notations, together with feedback elicited from the teaching team, formed a basis for appraisal.

Comments such as:

...I found I was working on my own for most of the work

...I like having a lot of time out of school hours

...the days we had off were great

...more encouragement to use the outside work time and not to leave things until next

class.

Further evaluation revealed one particular issue of concern. Learners were struggling to

understand the unstructured nature of PBL after having become accustomed to a more

behavioristic teaching style over previous years. Similarly, the teaching team had to acknowledge

that PBL was also a new experience for them that had a high degree of uncertainty. This

misunderstanding was manifesting itself in several ways: learners were unable to adequately time

manage their projects as all that ‘free time’ had them rushing to meet the required deadlines.

Teachers had formed preconceived notions that the learners’ research skills and learning

independence were more advanced than they actually were. Underpinning these new

understandings was a gradual awareness of the importance of generic, employability skills in an

AQF Level 6 Training Package Program and a realisation that although Project Based Learning

appeared to prepare learners for future employment there were certain elements in course design,

Training Package compliance and assessment that were misaligned. The misalignment refers to

the predominance of outcomes requiring direct evidence of performable technical skills being

written into the original course outline and assessment criteria. This resulted in a narrow

interpretation of the Training Package that overlooked the explicit or implicit inclusion of the

Key Competencies in either learning tasks or assessment. This discovery served to narrow and

define a hypothesis that would shape the direction of my research; that producing a well-rounded,

competent, employable TAFE student could be achieved through a mixture of innovative course

design, educational theory and an integrative assessment method.

In the following section, the data is analysed in chronological order. This approach is loosely

reflective of the action research cycles that took place and attempts to show the many ways in

which information was accessed.

5.2 Learner Surveys 2002 - 2004

In 2002, eighteen students were enrolled in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program. Each

student was invited to participate in a survey (APPENDIX C) designed to gauge whether they

had perceived a change in the way that they approached learning in a PBL environment. The

survey was distributed six months after commencement of the Program and seven respondents

returned the survey.

In 2004, the same survey was distributed to a different cohort of fourteen students enrolled in the

Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program. Nine students returned the survey. Figure 4 compares the

responses from the two groups.

Responses to Question 1

2002

2004

s e s n o p s e R f o r e b m u N

(a)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(b)

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Questions

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e b s n o p s e R e b o T

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Survey Response

Figure 4 Responses to Question 1 Learner Survey 2002 - 2004

Question 1: What has been your personal aim in participating in the Advanced Diploma

Program? Respondents could select more than one answer.

Over the two year period between 2002 and 2004, learner participants appeared to have

reprioritised their purpose for undertaking the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program from one of

personal skill enhancement to an acknowledgement that the Program was going to assist them to

be (a) ‘work ready’. It could be concluded that the Program’s strong emphasis on graduate

employment and industry partnerships had some influence on the 2004 learners’ decision to

select that particular program. Interestingly, the responses to (c) to be an independent learner and

(d) to be self responsible were perceived to be more highly relevant to learners undertaking the

Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program 2002 than in 2004 The intervening years have seen a

considerable uptake in the readiness of teachers in the lower AQF levels of Certificate 4 and

Diploma in Clothing Production to embrace learner centred pedagogical practices similar to those

modelled in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program. It is possible that learners in the 2004

cohort had already been exposed to these practices in their first or second year.

Question 2: How have you gone about achieving your personal goals?

Responses amongst the 2002 learners indicated an emerging awareness of personal learning, of

knowing how to learn and build knowledge. These learners appeared to be using constructivist

principles to make sense and meaning out of their lived experience, by using strategies such as:

• tuning into the teachers’ advice and knowledge

• talking to people in the industry

• learning and listening to every bit of knowledge and taking on board where my faults

are and improving these areas

• knowing my personal skills more better (sic). Knowing what to do and how to achieve

them; being more independent learner by looking up books for my information

• not to rely on my teachers for assistance and try to do it myself

• become more self-reliable, using my own initiative, become more aware of what my

skills are and trying to improve them.

In what could be called a significant shift, the responses provided by the 2004 cohort exhibited a

more mature, outward-looking and deeper approach to learning. They showed evidence of being

able to apply knowledge in different contexts. Their responses once again elicited an explicit

vocational link:

• taking numerous and various types of work experience

• forcing myself to try different things

• meet people and know about them and their stories: how they achieved their goals

• listen to every aspect of the course that I can apply in the workplace

• improve my knowledge in the trade

• my goal was to complete the year and have a full time job by the end

• work towards the future and my business

One respondent moved beyond an individual focus by demonstrating accountability for others

• taking responsibility for a group.

Question 3: What else do I need to make this happen?

The purpose of this question was to establish where gaps lay in terms of teacher or learner

support. The 2002 respondent replies were either pragmatic:

• I need to get a full- time job

Or indications of a lack of teacher support and motivation:

• give me more encouragement in my patternmaking skills and give me a push when I

get stuck

• I need more self encouragement and to believe that I can achieve anything

• more encouragement to take up every opportunity given.

By contrast, 50% of the learners in 2004 cited obtaining employment as the only thing preventing

them from achieving their personal goals:

• I would like to be made to go and find work experience from the start of the year

• I think I just need experience in a working environment

• a job

• I need to begin applying for jobs in the industry and continue networking to broaden

my contacts.

Lack of self confidence was considered a blocker by 30% of the 2004 learners and a further 20%

suggested that personal organisation, particularly time management, was letting them down.

I noted that the 2004 statements appeared not to implicate teachers as much as those in 2002 and

seemed to be more self-reflective and accountable: characteristics of independent learning.

Question 4: What has changed about your approach to this kind of work during the course

of the year?

Though not made explicit, the kind of work referred to was Project Based Learning. The question

was seeking to ascertain to what extent learners were aware that they had control over their own

learning. Responses amongst the 2002 learners were wide ranging but underpinned by a deeper

understanding about the industry into which they hoped to enter:

• I have changed my mind about what area I would like to work in

• my attitude to the industry and how it really is – being realistic about it

• I have learnt that a fantastic patternmaker was not born overnight; it’s a learnt

trade.

Others cited their changed approach to deadline setting and working within realistic periods.

One particular student wrote candidly about when ‘the penny dropped’ for her:

...when I first started this course, I felt like I was wasting my time; then as the year

progressed, I realised that the subjects were set out to get us ready for working in the

industry and using our own initiative.

This response captures the essence of PBL as a means by which learners can discover and

uncover the bigger picture.

The 2004 cohort also submitted a broad range of responses that suggested they were taking their

learning more seriously than in previous years as preparation for the workforce. This is congruent

with previous responses from this group. For some, it appeared that they had gained a deeper

understanding of the supply chain and could recognise patterns and sequences throughout the

projects. Generally, answers were more detailed than those received by respondents in 2002.

Question 5: Do you think you have become a more independent learner?

This question invited participants to give examples of how they had become more resourceful.

The outcomes of Project work featured prominently in all responses. Those in both groups of

2002 and 2004 found liberation in forward planning and described their commitment to time

management as important in achieving goals. Project work gave the learners the opportunity to

‘put everything together’:

...working with a gantt chart helped me with more independent learner because last

year we were given a lot of dates, but no guideline on what to do and how many weeks.

...Also last year we were given a lot of subjects to do, and had to put everything

together, but this year we had to do all of these ourselves, but it gave me more

independent on my learning than last year

...I think that any other year I would have freaked out, but I was surprised as to how

methodical and independently I went about it

...because if I need to know something it is up to me to seek out the answer. The

information was not explained to me step by step; I had to find it and work it out.

Overall Summary of 2002-2004 Survey results

Feedback from all survey participants was generally positive and provided evidence of change

and personal growth between 2002 and 2004. Responses indicated a clear link between learning

and the workplace, particularly with the 2004 group. Learners’ burgeoning self reliance and sense

of work readiness was evidenced in both groups and noticeably the 2004 group, who were able to

clearly articulate ways in which they had taken charge of their own learning. It was noted that the

2004 group was more familiar with reflective writing since its gradual introduction into the

Program post 2002.

5.3 Questionnaire 2003

The Questionnaire 2003 (APPENDIX D) distributed to the class of 2003 on April 4 was

scheduled at the completion of the first Project – Small Business. The questions were designed to

unearth hidden assumptions about the way students perceived their own learning and timed to

capitalise on the reflective phase after project completion. A major contributor to learners’ self

awareness is thought to be reflective processes that bring into consciousness the gap between

what we say and what we do, such as between thought and action (Friedman & Rothman in

Sankaran, Dick, Passfield, & Swepson, 2001). Sometimes known as action learning, this

approach encourages:

...the capacity to ask fresh questions in conditions of ignorance, risk, and confusion, when

nobody knows what to do next. (Revans, 1983, in Sankaran, Dick, Passfield, & Swepson,

2001, p 49).

In 2003 the questionnaire was distributed to the full student cohort of 16 learners and completed

by nine participants. The raw data that were collected addressed concerns previously identified in

the overall data gathering efforts of 2002. Using data from a variety of sources that included the

Learner Survey 2002, journals, observations and informal teacher discussions, tentative links

began to emerge between learners’ perception of success and self responsibility, prompting

further investigation. The 2003 questionnaire was distributed to learner participants after a nine-

week period of exposure to the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program and participants were

invited to make judgments about their own performance within the PBL framework.

Consideration was also given to the point at which learners made a change or improvement to

their situation.

Responses to questions one and two suggested a generalised assumption that learners defined and

measured personal success according to their ability to complete projects in a timely manner and

to their own standard of satisfaction. When asked to comment on what they perceived to be the

blockers of task completion (question three), responses highlighted two areas: a lack of

communication with teachers and procrastination. Questions four, five and six sought to

establish whether learners recognised the qualities thought to be useful in becoming employable.

These three questions yielded a variety of responses indicating that each learner was making

connections between her employability and acceptance of responsibility for self and team.

Question seven was included to canvas learner opinion about how teachers could be more

effective. Once again, opinions were diverse and some valuable suggestions emerged. A majority

of respondents indicated a need for assistance with practical skill development whilst others

requested help with interview skills and resumes.

In summary, feedback from the 2003 questionnaire validated an earlier hunch arising out of the

2002 Student Survey that some learners were recognising that securing employment was reliant

upon more than just technical competence alone. For the teaching team, it highlighted a need to

formalise the acquisition of employability skills resulting in a gradual shift towards explicit

assessment of the same.

5.4 Student Experience Surveys 2002 and 2006

Since 1999, RMIT University has collected data pertaining to the student experience. Copies of

the 2002 and 2006 Student Satisfaction Surveys became available for analysis and appear as

APPENDIX E and APPENDIX F. The data has been summarised and presented as Figure 5 and

Figure 6. The 2002 Student Satisfaction Survey was completed by thirteen respondents and in

2006 by twelve respondents. Overall satisfaction levels had risen 31% in the four year period to

deliver a 100% approval rating.

Figure 5 2006 Student Satisfaction Survey

Figure 6 2002 Student Satisfaction Survey

Notably, 67% of the 2002 student respondents and 75% of the 2006 cohort considered assessment

to be clear, consistent and appropriate to the program. Whilst these percentages could still be

considered very positive, there was no doubt that assessment was consistently the least

favourable aspect of the overall student experience.

5.5 Annual Program Reports 2002 and 2003

As part of RMIT’s annual Program Quality Assurance processes, Program Leaders report on their

programs in relation to implementation, design and currency of each program. Annual Program

Reports 2002 (APPENDIX G) and 2003 (APPENDIX H) respond to data provided in the Student

Satisfaction Surveys. These Annual Program Reports attempt to identify concerns and make

recommendations for planned action over the next twelve months. In this instance, both reports

presented an opportunity to check and establish validity about some evaluations we had been

making concerning student learning. By triangulating the data that was sourced through learner

journals and our own informal Learner Survey 2002 (see 5.3) we were able to verify that learning

through projects was delivering measurable benefits to teachers, students and prospective

employers. This conclusion was supported by evidence in Section 3 of the Annual Program

Report Overview that states:

Key Issues emerging from the current performance of the program.

The demand for our programs remains high. Informal feedback from graduates working

within the clothing industries indicates and strengthens our belief that the programs we

deliver are both current and relevant. Continual industry enquiries seeking graduates for

employment reinforces these beliefs (p 2)

and earmarked as a priority for action.

Continue to develop strong industry links to:

Assist in course relevant industry projects.

Offer work placement opportunities

Cement graduate employment opportunities

Establish IT requirements used in industry (p 3).

5.6 Conclusion

The data analysed in this chapter has illuminated some interesting findings, most notably the

students’ growing self reliance and sense of work readiness. The outcomes of PBL framed many

responses with participants beginning to understand that project work required them to become

more resourceful and independent learners. The overall quality of written responses improved

from 2001 to 2004 since the practice of reflective journal writing was introduced in 2002. This

finding suggests that students were becoming more skilled in expressing themselves and appears

to correspond with their more mature, outward looking and deeper approach to learning.

Data from the earlier years also revealed some perceived shortcomings in the level of teacher

support and motivation and highlighted the fact that teaching in a PBL environment required

some adjustment and greater understanding of the needs of learners. As the learners themselves

achieved greater independence in their learning they became more and more satisfied with the

performance of their teachers. The next chapter considers the strategies developed by the

teaching team to achieve this outcome.

With the data continuing to focus on achievements in personal learning and workplace readiness,

it became apparent that there was a misalignment between what the students were learning and

the criteria upon which they were being assessed. The assessment checklist in use was only

recording the students’ performable technical skills with no reference to their capability to

problem solve and think reflectively. RMIT Student Satisfaction Surveys 2002 and 2006

confirmed that students were less satisfied with the appropriateness and consistency of

assessment practices than other features of their learning experience and although improvements

were made over the research period, it continued to be a challenging and complex situation.

Chapter Six offers a theoretical perspective that attempts to make connections between these

issues of concern and the appropriateness of a PBL framework.

Chapter 6 THEORISING PROJECT BASED LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION

“Curriculum defines what counts as valid knowledge, pedagogy defines what counts as

valid transmission of knowledge and evaluation defines what counts as valid realisation

of the knowledge on the part of the taught” (Bernstein, 1973, p 85).

As previous chapters have argued, changes in workplace organisation have demanded a new

approach in the VET sector. My recent experience as a TAFE teacher researcher has heightened

my awareness of the need to question whether the contemporary strategy of Project Based

Learning (PBL) is a sustainable approach through which Training Package competencies can be

developed, processed and evaluated. PBL in a VET context challenges the assumption that VET

is still not sufficiently responsive to the demands of globalization, technology and work

(Chappell, 2003a). The chapter builds upon the work of Bernstein (1973), linking the ideas and

findings from Chapter five with other current discussion and draws upon some newer

theorisations regarding the integration of theory and practice. Bernstein (1973) describes three

message systems that support the establishment and maintenance of pedagogic discourse as

curriculum, pedagogy and evaluation. I have selected these themes as a continued framework for

discussion and analysis of the effectiveness of PBL later in this chapter.

6.1 Making PBL a legitimate choice in TAFE

The consistent theme of integration of theory and practice links the early work of the progressive

educational theorists such as Dewey and Kolb who each in their own way identified the value of

personal learning in both education as well as the business environment. Project Based Learning

claims to provide a holistic approach to learning and assessment in an institutional environment

and provides a link in the quest to validate an approach that supports the notion of competence as

being ‘knowledge and learning embedded in practice’ (Gonczi, 2001, p 7).

6.1.1 The Theory/Practice Relationship

The notion of a juncture between theory and practice as expressed by Gonczi (2001) traces its

origins to Aristotle who made the distinction between two different types of knowledge as

universal and theoretical claiming that young people, although well educated, lacked prudence –

the ability to apply their knowledge in a given context. He resolved that this was because

prudence (or phronesis) required time and experience. The concept was expanded by Gilbert Ryle

and others as propositional knowledge or knowing that, and tacit knowledge, which is knowing

how. Over time, another criterion has been added relating to practical wisdom, more recently

captioned knowing who and beyond that, knowing why. In one incarnation or another, these

concepts of knowledge development have influenced contemporary educational thought (Gonczi

2001). Theorizing knowledge progression in VET pedagogy suggests revisiting the existing

assumptions of competence as interpreted in Training Packages. Critics of Competency Based

Training have long argued that an emphasis on outcomes enhances focus on task function and

performativity (Billett et al, 1999; Cornford, 2000; Hager, 1995; Stevenson & McKavanagh,

1992), which we could explain as knowing how, and diminishes the other elements that a worker

uses to carry out tasks. We could identify those elements as being attributes of critical thinking

or knowing that, knowing who and knowing why. This viewpoint validates a more traditional

perception that skills and knowledge are grounded in what is technical and observable and

therefore measurable. However, the newer notion of knowledge as a commodity has changed the

skill set requirements for work in the contemporary economy (Chappell, 2003a) to one which

includes an array of personal aptitudes, capabilities and dispositions. Validating a pedagogical

approach that prepares learners for their future in work and is congruent with a contemporary

understanding of competence has been a major focus of this research project.

6.2 What about the learners?

There appears to be a gradual but perceptible shift in VET research regarding the relationship

between the learner, the workplace and how and where learning takes place (Boreham, 2004;

Brown, M., 2004). Some commentators are of the opinion that the critical thinking skills so

highly valued by employers can only be constructed in the process of work itself and are a

synthesis of theoretical and experiential knowledge (Billett, 2003; Boreham, 2004; Lave &

Wenger, 1991). This stance is reinforced by Hager (2001, p 2) through his emerging paradigm of

‘productive learning’ that proposes that the kind of learning that occurs in a workplace team

environment is holistic, context sensitive and actionable. Boreham (2004, p 213) puts forward a

convincing argument to suggest that employees only develop these skills as a direct result of the

social interactions they encounter in the course of the daily routine of workplace decision

making. He describes this as work process knowledge and claims that it is ‘embedded in the

routines and practices of the workplace’. If, as Boreham suggests, social interaction in the

workplace is the key to stimulating higher order thinking, where does that leave the TAFE

Training Package developer for whom learning is still considered to be an individual activity, and

particularly in institutions such as TAFE, where learning is removed from the workplace? The

discussion that follows seeks to explore this argument in greater detail.

6.2.1 Developing the Contingent Thinker in TAFE

As stated in Chapter 3, TAFE institutional learners constitute 85% of participants in the VET

sector. A majority of this cohort are not employed in the industry for which they are being trained

(Hager, 1995 in Smith 2002), a claim shared by Boorman (2001, p 2) who states that in 1999,

over 30% of those enrolled in either Training Packages or accredited courses were either not in

the workforce or unemployed. Developing people to be contingent thinkers has not been

overlooked in the development of Training Packages, nor has it been made explicit. The result is

widespread inconsistency and confusion amongst those who design, develop, deliver and assess

competence (Allen Consulting Group, 2006; Down, 2000). Whilst not specifically related to work

in a particular occupation or industry, generic qualities or ‘employability skills’ are embedded

into each unit of competence and considered by industry to be important for work, education and

citizenship. One of the challenges of my research has been to develop an understanding of how

knowledge, skills and generic attributes can best be integrated to prepare institutional learners for

a future largely unknown (Bowden & Marton, 1998). During an early review of the Advanced

Diploma (Fashion) Program, the learner co-participants expressed concerns that they ‘weren’t

getting enough handouts’. Focus group meetings suggested an underlying resistance to the

paradigm shift to learner centeredness and the learners’ response was:

• we need written guidelines

• we don’t have a checklist

• we need individual lessons’ (tutorials)

• there is such a big difference between 2nd and 3rd year.

Upon reflection and after further analysis, it seemed likely that the learners were still accustomed

to a content-laden, teacher-centred mode of delivery. Perhaps such reliance on information

usually researched and generated by their teacher, placed these learners at a disadvantage in

developing their own research skills. Candela, Dalley & Benzel-Lindley (2006) suggest that a

curriculum heavy in content leaves little room for the development of the abilities to acquire and

process information – skills so highly valued in the knowledge economy. Conclusions drawn

from data in Chapter 5 suggests that learners in the inaugural class of the Advanced Diploma

(Fashion) Program struggled with the ambiguity and ill-structured nature of PBL (Henry, 1994)

even though they entered the program equipped with a substantial knowledge base. Initial

exposure to a PBL environment caused some learner participants to suffer a crisis of confidence

that had little to do with their technical skills and more to do with a realization that their learning

environment was mirroring a workplace. One particular learner from the 2001 cohort expressed

indignation about ‘being told that school is the workplace and knowing it is not’. One of the most

difficult adjustments encountered by teachers and learners in a PBL context is the transition

between old and new modes of learning. Some learners were challenged by PBL, citing their

preference for a traditional structured approach and a preference for a learning environment that

requires less effort on their part. This is supported by Frank & Barzilai, (2004, p 43) who suggest

that…

students struggling with ambiguity, complexity, and unpredictability are liable to sense

frustration in an environment of uncertainty, where they have no notion of how to begin

or in which manner to proceed.

6.3 Teaching Strategies in PBL

Evidence suggests that there are several strategies that teachers can adopt to provide learners with

sufficient support structures and coping mechanisms and that the implementation of such

strategies can have a significant effect on the successful outcome of PBL implementation

(Thomas, 2000). One of the strategies used to effect in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion)

Program is based upon an advancement of the traditional apprenticeship metaphor known as

Cognitive Apprenticeship.

Similarities exist between the Cognitive Apprenticeship model and PBL with its attention to

contextual learning in an authentic setting comparable to that in which experts actually practice

(Resnick, 1989). This model proposes that learners progress through stages of dependence to

autonomy and mastery of skills guided by the changing role of the teacher. The exposure that

learners have to teachers and experts who model higher level thinking processes is thought to

advance and inform their emergent reasoning and decision making skills (Hogan & Tudge, 1999).

Cognitive Apprenticeship makes use of four aspects of traditional apprenticeship practices and

incorporates theories of contextual learning:

• Modelling: the master demonstrates while the apprentice observes

• Scaffolding: the support the learner receives

• Fading: support is gradually removed and the apprentice is given more responsibility

• Coaching: this lasts throughout the entire apprenticeship and oversees the learning processes

and activities involved (Collins, Brown, & Holum, 1991).

Brown, Collins & Duguid (1996) cite reflective practice as the differential between traditional

and cognitive apprenticeship, arguing that reflection leads to deeper levels of thinking and

learning. Although characteristics of cognitive processes such as scaffolding, fading and coaching

as outlined above have been useful in the PBL context at RMIT as both approaches encourage

exploration and reflection, it seemed that no particular theory of learning dominated pedagogy.

Instead, any approach that positioned the notion of work relatedness at the centre of learning and

reinforced its importance through problem setting appeared to heighten learner engagement.

Solomon (2003) explores the concept of the ‘learner-worker’ as one who is situated in an

educational institution and whose learning is somehow connected to their future work.

According to Solomon, it is the foregrounding of work within an educational context that

produces a particular kind of person, possibly one with the right attributes for solving ‘real world’

problems. PBL through its very nature, places the project, and therefore the accompanying

workplace practices at the centre of the learning site, enabling the learner to apply their prior

skills and knowledge to a simulated work environment. With this comes an assumption that the

teacher has adequate work based experience to bring the nuances of the workplace into the

classroom. Commentators, such as Billett et al (1999) and Smith and Keating (2003), have

identified teacher’s familiarity with current workplace practice as a contributor in the

development of transferable knowledge in students, as it allows for the development of

appropriate learning experiences (Billett et al, 1999). This is intended to mean that what is learnt

in the classroom can be transferred to a workplace in the future and is a concept that is explored

in more depth in 6.3.1. Woven into this occupational knowledge is anticipation that teachers also

possess familiarity with pedagogical practice, sufficient to frame learning experiences that

provide opportunities for skill development whilst maintaining the authenticity of a work setting.

6.3.1 Teaching for Transfer

The research I have undertaken regarding pedagogical knowledge has informed the way in which

the learning environment of the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program at RMIT TAFE has been

constructed. I have drawn upon my emerging knowledge of learning principles to investigate and

facilitate the development of critical thinking skills. In this context, learning takes place with the

clear intention that:

the knowledge and skills resulting from an initial learning foundation will transfer to non-

training settings, but specifically the workplace (Cornford, 2005, p 27).

Cornford (2005) argues that teaching for transfer is achievable in a formal learning setting

removed from the workplace but clarifies the statement by making a distinction between near and

far transfer. Far transfer being the ability to adapt learning to a new location and context.

Participants in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program appear to have a very clear

understanding of what it means to be work ready. They demonstrated a surprisingly articulate

awareness of the explicit link between their learning experience at TAFE and intentions for future

success. This is most pronounced in the data presented in Chapter 5, the 2003 Questionnaire,

where learner participants are asked how they could apply their learning to life outside the

institutional environment. Newell (2003, p 57) confirms that such a question prompts the learner

to consider what is ‘authentic, real and important’.

I feel that I have learnt how to be responsible and professional with my work, but also

being able to enjoy myself and have fun. I have learnt to work methodically, going

through and prioritizing which are most important, including part time work (Mary,

2003)

Quite confident for the next project, but perhaps need a bit more routine and balance with

work, school, money etc (Vanessa, 2003)

Learners undertaking the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program are provided with opportunities

to practice their teamwork and leadership skills through activities that take place within and

beyond the classroom. These activities are not assessed but they are parallel to real world

situations that assist learners to establish their identity. Three examples of near transfer of

learning are: (1) the Graduate Exhibition, (2) learners undertaking teaching functions and (3)

learner-to-learner mentoring.

1. Learners project manage their own graduate exhibition. The graduate exhibition and fashion

parade is partly organised by the students and is a major undertaking that attracts over 300 guests.

Learners work throughout the year devising fundraising strategies. They develop and distribute a

catalogue that showcases their work and they pro-actively manage their own publicity efforts.

Each of these ‘mini-projects’ relies upon voluntary help from each member of the group and

provides opportunities to practice problem analysis, negotiation, teamwork and communication.

Learners are called upon to negotiate with peers, teaching staff and external stakeholders such as

industry representatives, event managers and catering staff. They come to know the pressures

involved in coordinating a large project that has a critical deadline.

2. Relinquishing some teaching functions to students has also progressively extended informal

learning opportunities. This intervention requires skilful preparation by the teacher to select

instances where an individual learner can be guided to adopt a facilitative role. The scenarios

have included situations where learner guides learner (instructing on a technical skill aspect such

as the execution of a garment pattern feature) or learner to class group, where an individual

learner assumes accountability for class management during a period of teacher absence. Peer

teaching, Jarvis (1996, p 165) assures us, is not necessarily ‘the blind leading the blind’ as it

makes use of the non technical resources that the learner already possesses. Over the course of

the four-year project, I have used this intervention with varying levels of success. Initially, my

desire to maintain control of the learner group together with a sense that the learners would not

‘do a good enough job’ instilled in me a reluctance to pass over various teaching tasks and

functions; however, the opportunity to work alongside a colleague who practiced this technique

regularly in her classes allowed me to observe its success. On several occasions, I observed what

Blunden (1997, p 147) describes as the ‘Pygmalion effect’ where the learner goes above and

beyond their own comfort level to live up to the expectations of the teacher. Rather than diminish

the identity of the teacher, I noted that the roles and relationships between teacher and student in

the PBL classroom assume the characteristics of ‘master’ and ‘novice’.

3. Learner-to-learner mentoring occurs in the Advanced Diploma Program due to the flexibility

of learner entry/exit points. At any one time, there can be a spread of learners up to six months

apart in advancement. Rather than this being a disruptive situation, I have observed that this

situation brings about tacit benefits. The learners who are in their final semester of the program

adopt a ‘masterly’ role to the ‘novice’ learners who join the Program mid-term. This approach is

consistent with guided learning (Billett, 2001) where I observed that the ‘novice’ learners quickly

adopted the pace and intensity modelled by their more advanced peers and within six months,

they become the ‘masters’ to a new group of ‘novices’.

Whilst these activities have some validity as strategies to overcome the absence of real workplace

experience, their best feature is the confidence they instil in learners. Down & Hager (1999, p 5)

support this view stating that:

The role of Key Competencies within such transfer is enabling, transforming and

developmental, and is related to a growing understanding of how to deal with different

contexts. In this way non-work experiences can benefit workplace performance and vice

versa.

Learner participants were asked to describe how they thought they had become more independent

learners. The following responses lifted from student journals suggests that persistent

behavioural change occurs over a period of time (Uden & Beaumont, 2006).

…at the start of the year I looked to the teacher to tell me what to do, how to do it and

why. I found out that they did not have all the answers. I wanted to be told and this

made everything very difficult for me and my work

...I used to be ‘good enough is near enough’ and now I really try to perfect what I am

doing. I am happy to take on more responsibility whereas before I hated doing

anything

…when I first started this course, I felt like I was wasting my time, then as the year

progressed, I realized that the subjects where (sic) set out to get us ready for working

in the industry and using our own initiative

…my attitude towards time management definitely. The attitude in the industry and

how it really is – being realistic about it. I also try to find out things by myself and get

help at the same time which is a good combination.

Velde (1999, p 440) argues that the individual cannot be separated from the tasks and considers

that ‘the meaning of the task for the students, the teamwork which may be necessary to complete

it or the students prior experience’ must be given due attention. It can be acknowledged that PBL,

introduced into the RMIT (Fashion) TAFE environment, has provided an environment for

learners to use and integrate a variety of skills and knowledge. Opportunities have arisen to apply

these skills and knowledge to new and different contexts through participation in co-curricular

activities previously mentioned. In this regard, PBL has been successful in establishing near

transfer of learning. However continuing and sustained transfer in the workplace could be

contingent on managers and future trainers recognising that these graduates are really advanced

beginners (Cornford & Athanasou, 1995) who will need ongoing support.

6.3.2 Experiential Teaching Practice

Very little research has come to light regarding the specific use of PBL in TAFE. As a result the

approach used in this research study has been an incubator of experiential teaching practice

where, as practitioners, we gave ourselves tacit permission to experiment through trial and error.

Teachers delivering the Advanced Diploma Program at RMIT use a variety of approaches to

engage learners in the PBL classroom. Their experience is drawn from formal and informal

theories of learning (Foley, 2000) and can sometimes be dependent on finding ‘what works’.

Such a pragmatic approach can lead to trial and error (Blunden, 1997). Considering the problems

that they are presented with, the teachers describe their role as being primarily diagnostic and

advisory and admit that they draw heavily upon their industry experience for solutions. The

teaching cohort have substantial industry management experience where problem solving is the

nature of the job and they have brought with them the kind of ‘lived experience’ that the data

shows has been valued by learners and industry partners alike. In order to convey the meaning

and merit of a project, Chujo and Kijima (2006, p 2) claim that the teacher’s own skill and

experience in Project Management is essential. They observe that ‘if the instructor does not have

any real project experience, it is difficult for him or her to teach beyond what is written in the

textbooks’.

6.4 The Changing Role of the Teacher

Henry (1994) suggests that in the PBL classroom, the teacher’s traditional role is redefined, but

not diminished as it is the project, rather than the teacher who becomes the focus of attention.

Blunden (1997) describes several informal theories of teaching that seek to recognise the

importance of differing student learning styles and his reference to Fox’s ‘growing theory’

recognises the changing role of the teacher from being an infallible expert, responsible for the

final product, to being a guide who is responsive to the context in which the learning is occurring.

Teachers co-opted to facilitate in the Advanced Diploma Program at RMIT rely upon broad

industry management experience and demonstrate personal characteristics receptive to

adaptability in teaching practice. The teaching cohort utilises a spread of specialised skills and

encourages learners to maximise consultation time with each teacher’s specialty field. Student

Experience Surveys conducted in 2002 returned a rating of 75% on the Good Teaching Scale. By

2006, the Good Teaching Scale had risen to 90% using the same teaching cohort. To achieve a

rating on the Good Teaching Scale, survey participants were asked to judge the level of

communication and support provided by teachers. Such a healthy result suggests that learners are

very satisfied with the teaching capabilities of their instructors as well as their capacity to

understand the needs of learners.

6.4.1 Team Teaching

Although team teaching in the Advanced Diploma Program has been the source of positive and

supporting relationships for me, there are traps for the unwary. Varied teaching styles, differing

levels of pedagogical expertise and interpersonal relationships have impacted on the success of

the team approach. Learners, more familiar with a behaviorist teaching approach, enter the

Advanced Diploma Program unaccustomed to receiving divergent perspectives from their team

teachers. This can easily set up an adversarial situation where one teacher’s guidance is placed at

odds with another’s:

...there is too much confusion in what J and S say. One says one thing, the other another

(Jessie 2002)

...what didn’t work for me was “having two teachers saying different things

(Michelle 2002).

The frustration and confusion felt by these learners is consistent with views held by Goetz (2000)

who suggests that the diversity of viewpoints that some students find advantageous creates

discontentment in others. By contrast, Oliver (1999) who supports the Cognitive Apprenticeship

model advocates the benefits of exposure to multiple opinions, perspectives or beliefs as

cultivating, in the learner, a process of deeper understanding. Robinson and Schiable, (1995, in

Goetz, 2000 p 1) recommend choosing a team teaching partner with a ‘healthy psyche’, someone

who is neither controlling nor easily offended. I would suggest, then, that the personal

characteristics required of a teacher considering team facilitation in the project area are similar to

those required in the workplace. To respect each other’s professional expertise, always portray a

united front, have the ability to negotiate with and stimulate others and to be constantly aware of

opportunities to exercise empathy and understanding with a listening heart.

6.4.2 Correct Sequencing to Facilitate Employment

Smith (2002) reporting on Down’s 2002 research, claims that VET providers are reporting closer

links with industry. This view is consistent with the findings of my research which suggests that

the sequencing of the four Advanced Diploma (Fashion) projects has proven to be beneficial in

terms of both learning and employment outcomes. The order in which the four projects are

delivered is now designed to optimize employment opportunities but this was not always so. The

first full-action research cycle revealed that project sequence did not capitalise on the potential

for learners to undertake extended work placement that could potentially lead to ongoing

employment. Following completion of the first full length action research cycle, the projects were

delivered in a different sequence to effect the desired change. The two projects scheduled in the

second half of the year have a strong industry partner focus that necessitates interaction between

learners and prospective employers. Learners sometimes manage to secure employment in the

clothing industry prior the completion of the Program but have been reluctant to accept full time

work for fear of forfeiting their qualification. In the past, this situation has presented teachers

with an ethical challenge, particularly considering the Program’s strong emphasis on creating

work/learning linkages. A solution, whereby learners are not required to withdraw from the

Program if their job fits within the competencies of the project criteria, means that they have the

option of undergoing workplace assessment by a member of the course team. This has become an

innovative solution to an otherwise difficult dilemma and is one which has delivered unexpected

benefits by way of closer industry links and greater understanding between teachers, learners and

employers.

6.4.3 Mentoring

Successful mentoring, ‘… is a complex, interactive process occurring between two individuals of

differing levels of experience’ (Field, in Blunden, 1997, p 324) and relies on particular personal

characteristics to preserve the quality of relationship with the learner. The most important being

trust. Personal trust does not necessarily figure prominently as a feature of traditional face to face

teaching where a transmission model of learning is appropriated. In the transmission model, the

teacher dispenses knowledge to the learner. Mentoring does, however, share other characteristics

with a traditional teaching model such as listening skills, continual instruction, feedback, support

and follow through (Herman & Mandell, 2004). Henry (1994) asserts that mentoring students as

they move through the phases of project work can be more time consuming than face to face

teaching. I have observed in my own teaching practice that a significant amount of ‘outside class

time’ is devoted to sending or replying to student emails and text messages. This can be an issue

especially for sessional teaching colleagues who are paid for their teaching contact hours. The

amount of help required varies amongst the student cohort and increases in volume as the project

deadlines approach.

6.4.4 Where has the Curriculum gone?

From an early stage, the teaching cohort was disturbed by the absence of written curriculum

documentation. Once a project brief is delivered, the learner has responsibility for creating the

process for herself through the product she develops. We finally realised that PBL was a living

curriculum and the content was the product the learner submitted for assessment at completion of

the project. This was one of the most difficult things to justify as a teacher: the lack of written

preparation material.

6.5 Assessment

Assessment of competencies in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program proved to be

challenging and complex for teachers during the course of this research study and at the time of

writing it remains less than ideal in capturing the full scope of workplace competency. This view

is consistent with Edmonds & Stuart (1992, in Connally, Jorgensen, Gillis, & Griffin, 2003) who

point out that higher order competencies develop over a longer period of time and are less

observable.

When the TCF Training Package was hastily introduced at RMIT TAFE Fashion Department in

2001, it brought with it traditional assumptions about assessment such as task demonstration and

direct questioning as a means of verifying competence. However it was not long before we, as

teachers and assessors, had a hunch that this approach was no longer reflecting the complexity of

vocational activities being undertaken. The original assessment tool itself, designed as a

checklist, proved outdated and inadequate. Despite modifications, issues continued to surface

about how to integrate and give more recognition to the learner’s capability to engage in non-

routine activities using skills such as problem solving, communication and contingency

management. Our lack of understanding at the time may have meant that we did not know how to

develop an appropriate assessment instrument and the inadequacy of the process of planning and

conducting assessment resulted in experimentation through various action research initiatives that

sought to develop a foundation of good practice. The assessment checklist has undergone three

incarnations and the most recent version has been reported by the teaching cohort to be a

significant improvement on previous attempts. Ironically, our industry partners who participate as

members of an assessment panel have found it difficult to interpret and understand due to the

frequent use of Training Package jargon.

6.5.1 The purpose of assessment in Training Packages

In keeping with the substantial reform of vocational education in Australia in the 1990s, the

introduction of Competency Based Training (CBT) and subsequently Training Packages saw a

swing away from a syllabus-driven assessment model towards an outcome-based approach based

upon explicitly defined standards, meaning that assessment takes place against competency

standards rather than against a curriculum (Boud & Hawke, 2003). Using a dichotomous

reporting framework of competent or not competent (Williams & Bateman, 2002), specially

trained workplace assessors evaluate appropriate levels of performance and make judgments

upon whether the individual has reached the required level. The foregrounding of the role of

assessment and the assessor appears to be integral to the reform process as qualifications are

issued on the basis of an amassing of ‘evidence’ that is judged against pre-determined industry

standards (Boud & Hawke, 2003). The professional qualities that a workplace assessor should

possess suggest a strong connection with industry and include:

expert knowledge of the field, a deep understanding of underlying principles, accumulated

experience in the practice of the profession, a familiarity with recent advances in the

professional knowledge base, and mastery of the best available techniques and tools

(Masters 2003, p 46, as cited in ANTA, 2004).

According to the National Training Board (1992, p 29), Assessor Assessment characteristics

relate to the dimensions of competence:

1. the requirement to perform individual tasks (task skills);

2. the requirement to manage a number of different tasks within the job (task

management skills)

3. the requirement to respond to irregularities and breakdowns in routine

(contingency management skills);

4. the requirement to deal with the responsibilities and expectations of the work

environment (job/role environment skills), including working with others; and

to transfer the skills to new tasks and situations

The method of collecting evidence against these dimensions of competence is described in the

TCF Training Package as a four-pronged approach that distinguishes it from merely one of

‘testing’ to a process of gathering sufficient information to enable an informed judgment of the

performance of an individual. Although recommending four primary approaches, it suggests that

in many instances the most appropriate method of gathering evidence will be a combination of

each method.

They are:

• Samples of performance (such as the evaluation of simulated products or processes,

examination of finished products or processes and demonstrated skills to reflect work

activity)

• Observation of performance in the workplace – also known as direct evidence (such as the

evaluation of product and/or process, management of changing context and requirements

and interaction with related work activities)

• Evidence of prior performance – also known as indirect evidence (for example the

evaluation of previous work through samples, portfolios, projects, work history,

supervisor and referee reports)

• Supplementary information – also known as supplementary evidence (for example, the

questioning, presentations and contingency analysis) (ANTA, 2000)

To this extent, direct observation constitutes only one of four methods of assessment and yet, it

has evolved to be the one used most regularly, possibly because its use has been carried over

from the past in the form of tests and examinations (Boud & Hawke, 2003). This was certainly

the case in the Fashion Department and was the basis upon which assessment for the Advanced

Diploma (Fashion) Program developed.

Drawing upon elements of the TCF Training Package Assessment Guidelines, four key principles

guide the assessment process: validity, reliability, flexibility and fairness. These principles are

defined below:

• To be valid, the assessment must assess what it claims to assess. Sufficient evidence must

be collected that is relevant to the standard being assessed.

• To be reliable, the assessment methods and procedures must ensure that competency

standards are applied consistently.

• To be flexible, assessment must be able to take place in a variety of settings, either on the

job or off the job or in a combination of both. Assessment should allow for diversity of

how, where and when competencies; have been acquired.

• To be fair, the assessment must not disadvantage any individuals. As such, consideration

should be given to the language, literacy and cultural needs of the individual when

planning the assessment (ANTA, 2000).

In reference to the Advanced Diploma AQF Level 6, the Clothing Production Training Package

the breadth, depth and complexity of knowledge and skills gained in this qualification will prepare

a person to perform a significant range of fundamental principles and complex techniques across

a wide and often unpredictable variety of contexts in relation to varied or highly specific

functions.

Contribution to the development of a broad plan, budget or strategy is involved and adaptability

for self and others in achieving the outcomes is involved. ANTA (2000, p 36).

states:

These characteristics suggest that learning outcomes should contain features that enable an

individual with this qualification to demonstrate, in the workplace, analytical, conceptual,

technical and diagnostic skills and knowledge and be capable of executing judgments with

accountability across a broad range of functions.

6.5.2 The Assessment Process

My teaching colleague and I were initially indecisive about ‘what’ and ‘how’ to assess in a

project-based environment. Our teaching experience to date was reflective of working in the VET

TAFE sector – prescriptive, behavioural and the assessment practices we were familiar with were

atomistic. Although we had attended briefing sessions relating to the introduction of Training

Packages, there was still an element of uncertainty to our undertaking. We arrived at the task of

devising a suitable assessment tool for the program with different industry skills, knowledge and

teaching experience to draw upon, and discovered very quickly that we were moving from the

known to the unknown. Commentators such as Dierick & Dochy (2001, in VandenBergh, 2006)

emphasise the importance of creating alignment between learning outcomes and assessment.

Known as ‘auto-dissolving prophecy’, they suggest that an educational innovation will dissolve

itself when the assessment is not congruent with the teaching method.

Research supports the notion that assessing competencies in higher qualifications can be

problematic. The complexity of competencies that require a capacity to reflect, predict, analyse

and evaluate suggests a different approach – and an awareness on the part of the assessor to be

able to synthesize many different sources of evidence (Connally, Jorgensen, Gillis, & Griffin,

2003; DETYA, 2001). In my experience, the context of having to conduct assessment in an

institutional environment adds a greater, but not insurmountable challenge to an already difficult

situation. A study by Boorman (2001) to investigate institutional responses to Training Packages

reveals scepticism towards institutional assessment. Boorman’s study participants (for example

the retail industry) believed that competence could only be assessed at the workplace whilst other

RTOs declared that they only offered management level competencies to those already in

employment.

It is against this background that Boud and Hawke (2003) propose that it is the way we view

assessment practices, regardless of the location of assessment that is in need of attention. They

assert that the interpretation and implementation of traditional assessment practice distorts and

deskills learners’ ability to become lifelong learners and caution that assessment of observable

elements of performance for immediate competence may result in learners achieving to a level

that satisfies assessors, instead of learning to establish and determine the appropriate standard for

themselves. They suggest that institutional learners in particular, learn to make their own

judgments about what constitutes satisfactory performance so that when they are confronted with

complex situations in real settings, they can develop their own understandings of learning and

assessing. Empowering learners to understand the process of assessment seems like a natural

progression that flows from them understanding their own learning. This research study proposes

that assessment using a combination of direct, indirect and supplementary evidence, such as

portfolio assessment, is one way of achieving this outcome.

6.5.3 Portfolio Assessment

Portfolio assessment has become more widely used in vocational education because it

demonstrates active learning and performance (Bateman & Griffin, 2003; Bragg, 1995; Brown,

B., 1997); criteria which are essential in the assessment of Training Packages outcomes. Portfolio

assessment was used in the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program as it displays the products the

students have produced, which are simulations of what would be required in the workplace, using

multiple sources of evidence gathered over a long period of time and from many different sources

(Brown, B., 1997; DETYA, 2001). Essentially, each of the four projects completed by the

Advanced Diploma (Fashion) students has a similar mapping process of design product, develop

product, produce product and evaluate product. Therefore the portfolio of work submitted by

each student comprises a combination of practical and written work.

A storyboard of fashion clothing designs, a set of cardboard patterns and three completed sample

garments made up the practical component, which was underpinned with written documentation

in the form of a report. The report included a design rationale, garment specifications, surveys

and questionnaires, data analysis and conclusions. Each student was given the assessment

checklist consisting of four sections:

• design

• patternmaking

• garment construction

• reporting or documentation

Assessment took the form of a half-hour presentation where the students displayed their

storyboards and presented their work individually to the teaching panel.

The first time the checklist was used it became apparent that the criterion that we were assessing

against was technical proficiency alone, a method which has been described as ‘tick and flick’.

During the course of the first cycle in 2001, a critical incident arose with two students that

highlighted the inadequacies of the assessment checklist. The Project required that the students

develop a small business fashion concept, develop a business plan and produce prototype

garments reflective of the range. One particular student demonstrated great initiative and

resourcefulness by sourcing and ordering specialised technical fabric from interstate. Due to the

short timeframe of the project, she waited anxiously for its arrival. As is typical in the clothing

industry, the fabric did not arrive until one week before the deadline. Anticipating this possibility,

the student purchased similar fabric and proceeded to sew the product in the substitute fabric.

Being an enterprising young person, her business concept was picked up by an interested fashion

company, resulting in forward orders to be manufactured, of course, in the original Sydney

fabric. By contrast, the second student who also encountered supply problems with her fabric

simply could not see a way through the situation and ultimately applied for the project deadline to

be extended.

We found that there was no provision anywhere on our checklist to acknowledge how well the

first student had carried out her contingency plan compared with the second student who failed to

use initiative. We were simply marking and assessing explicit technical proficiency in sewing up

the item and the completion of any required documentation. The result was disheartening and yet,

according to our marking guide and our interpretation of the Training Package guidelines, it was

clear that once the second student has submitted her work, both learners had achieved

competency. After discussion with my peers, it appeared that they too had recognized a gap

between what was being assessed (skills and knowledge) and what they tacitly knew from their

lived experience, were valuable qualities (employability skills) in the workplace. In the Fashion

Department of RMIT TAFE, professional development concerning the introduction of Training

Packages was limited to brief planning sessions. The literature suggests that my experience is not

uncommon. The findings of Clayton et al (2004, in Bateman, 2005), indicate that factors such as

poor initial assessor training, lack of on-going support/professional development and insufficient

knowledge of current workplace practices, has resulted in a paucity of assessor expertise.

Consistent with this observation, it is noted by Virgona et al (in Smith & Keating, 2003) that the

Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace training does not give teachers the skill for this task.

We sought answers in the RMIT Course Guide generated by the Fashion Program Coordinators

for each Course, but found that of the 12 Assessment tasks listed, all were prefixed by verbs such

as ‘prepare’, ‘conduct’, ‘assemble’, ‘attach’ and ‘specify’. This suggested to me that the

assessable tasks were focused on skills and knowledge and did not reflect the initiative,

resourcefulness and problem-solving opportunities that we were witnessing in class, possibly as a

result of the project work that the students were undertaking. One factor that had been overlooked

to some extent was the triangulation between project briefs, the learning outcomes and

assessment requirements. We suspected that in order to validate assessment of these dispositional

characteristics, we should firstly teach them. As a resolution to the concern, the teaching cohort

progressively introduced brief workshops that covered strategies commonly encountered in the

workplace, such as effective communication, teamwork, contingency planning and negotiation

skills.

From a teacher’s perspective, performance of these generic skills improved significantly over the

duration of the research study and was explicitly demonstrable through the delivery of two major

public events. Firstly, the students organised their own graduate exhibition and fashion parade

and used fundraising as a means of financing the event. Secondly, they negotiated and managed

an ongoing static display of their work at a major fashion supplier. Results of Student Satisfaction

Surveys conducted in 2002 and again in 2006 indicated a downward trend in students’ own

perception of whether their generic skills had developed through engagement with the program.

Participants in the Student Satisfaction Survey of 2002 registered 82% median satisfaction with

the level of student engagement the program provided. Four years later, participants returned a

77% satisfaction rating when asked similar questions. This minor downward trend could possibly

be attributed to altered presentation of data and would need further analysis. Since the

conclusion of this research study, subsequent research has revealed a widespread uncertainty in

the VET sector over lack of clarity in the Training Package guidelines regarding the place of

generic skills. As a result of the major review in 2005, more explicit guidelines have been

established and included with the Training Package Development Handbook as Employability

Skills (DEST, 2006).

6.5.4 Professional Judgment

By identifying portfolio assessment as an outcome of Project Based Learning we had to identify

the major function of the portfolio. Where multiple learning outcomes need to be assessed,

research indicates that the portfolio approach has several advantages. It gives teachers an insight

into the learning process of the student, it emphasises self–responsibility, and it facilitates

planning, reflection and critical thinking (Arter & Spandel, 1992; Wagner, 1998). It appeared to

be the ideal adjunct to project-based learning. Concerns, namely how to determine the fairness,

validity and consistency of evidence arose from the decision to use portfolios as an assessment

tool for the Advanced Diploma Program. The performance criteria outlined in the Clothing

Production Training Package describes only the essential aspects of performance, thus it avoids

specifying procedures or methods of how to implement learning and teaching (ANTA, 2000). It

is this ambiguity, perhaps deliberately vague, that can either encourage more flexible assessment

approaches, or cause anxiety and concern to the assessor.

In creative disciplines such as art and design, the best evidence to demonstrate student

competency is a product that has been made as part of the learning process (Brown, S. & Knight,

1994). Interestingly, the RMIT TAFE Advanced Diploma (Fashion) learners regularly voiced

their concerns about equitability and sufficiency of work during the period of research but

strangely these anxieties were not made explicit in journals or quantitative surveys. The

assessment criteria required completion of one garment, which could mean something as complex

as a bridal gown or something as simple as a t-shirt, which in both cases left some students

agonizing over whether they had ‘done enough’ to guarantee a pass. This view is supported by

Brown,S. & Knight (1994) who suggest that it is not identicality that is sought but equivalence of

experience of assessment. Discussion with colleagues recalled what Argyris & Schön (1978) call

double-loop learning: an opening up to engendered criticism and the ability to discuss concerns

and alternatives. It revealed that the problem was deep rooted in some students’ reluctance to

work beyond the minimum requirements on the basis that assessment was reported as

competent/not yet competent. Even the most ambitious and hard working students were frustrated

in their attempts to do well. The later introduction of graded assessment into RMIT University

TAFE programs highlighted the possibility that there could be differences in the difficulty levels

of elements of competence (Bateman, 2003).

The Training Package arrangements call for criterion based assessments that are clear and overt.

However, others have noted the role of judgment in competency based assessment. Jones (2005),

in her research concerning assessment judgments in VET, describes this ‘knowing’ as tacit

knowledge that is often situated within a personal or historical context, and suggests that the

notion of developing a sense of the standards through practical application as opposed to the

documented curriculum or training, turns assessment into a social process. In our situation, our

‘knowing’ was drawn from our own rich vocational experience. However this was of no insight

to the learners who typically had never been employed in any field of practice relating to their

studies. As a result, the use of exemplars carefully selected over a period of years assisted

learners to comprehend requirements. In many instances, the learner would present work for

assessment based on personal taste and aesthetics. We found that objectivity could be more easily

maintained by using a panel of assessors and engaging in moderation.

6.6 Conclusion

This chapter has attempted to articulate the linkages between teaching, learning and assessment

taking into consideration the inclusion of PBL as the preferred instructional and assessment

approach. Its focus on the tensions and difficulties of establishing transfer of learning has

highlighted the changing role of the teacher and the importance of appropriate holistic

assessment. The discussion concedes that there are challenges involved in training and assessing

away from the workplace but establishes that PBL has been used to effect in the RMIT Fashion

research study. The next chapter explores more fully implications for other institutional Training

Package users and endeavours to draw meaningful conclusions and recommendations that may be

useful in broader application.

Chapter 7 CONCLUSIONS and IMPLICATIONS

Influenced by emerging trends and changes occurring in workplace practice, the Fashion

Department at RMIT TAFE sought to develop a Training Package Program that prepared

graduates for work in the new knowledge economy. Graduates would need to be flexible,

responsive and skilful contingent thinkers, equipped with capabilities necessary for knowledge

production. The focus of this research investigation centres on the notion of the place of Project

Based Learning in a Training Package context. Using a Training Package Program introduced at

RMIT TAFE as a research study, the research proposes that implementing a PBL approach has

been an effective means of integrating Training Package outcomes with an instructional method

that facilitates thinking, problem solving and communication skills.

7.1 Significance of the Study

The research study began with the challenge to design, develop and implement a curriculum

model for an AQF Level 6 Training Package Program that could meet the competency standards

required in the TCF Training Package and at the same time address the unique difficulties of

teaching and assessing higher order problem solving skills. The study is significant because the

use of PBL as an instructional approach represents a shift in the way vocational education is

traditionally delivered. The use of PBL raised a set of questions about its appropriateness in a

standards based environment. More commonly established in Higher Education, the application

of PBL in VET was, at the time, unconventional.

Using a framework based around participative, action-oriented ‘practice’ research, the project

was located in my workplace and focussed on an issue central to my working life. The

effectiveness of PBL is discussed in Chapter Six through analysis of the collected data and

although my research is highly situational and context specific, it is hoped that there is scope for

its application in a broader sense beyond RMIT where it may be useful to others including TAFE

teachers who wish to reconcile the behaviourist nature of Training Packages with the

constructivist approach of PBL.

7.2 Findings and Conclusions

A major outcome of this research study is the notion that a student-centred learning environment

can be situated within the context of a Training Package Program. The juxtaposition of the

principles of competence based training and student centeredness, often regarded as behaviourist

versus constructivist approaches to learning do not appear to be under tension in the localised

PBL TAFE classroom at RMIT. Perspectives surrounding the relationship between teaching,

learning and assessment have also emerged as issues of concern throughout the research: each

underpinned by Training Packages, PBL and their conventions. The study reveals some outcomes

favourable to the process of PBL but the findings should not be generalised due to the highly

situated nature of the research. Here are some major findings.

Firstly, data evaluated in Section 5.2 found that learner participants enrolled in the Advanced

Diploma of TCF (Fashion) Program appeared to recognise a change in the way they approached

learning in a PBL environment compared with their previous learning experiences. Their

burgeoning self reliance and sense of work readiness proved to be an interesting finding that

emerged from the research study. Section 6.2 illustrates the various ways in which those learners

progressively demonstrated the existence of personalised, deep learning in a local context through

exposure to ‘real’ issues and scenarios brought about in this instance by the project environment.

When applied to the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program introduced at RMIT, this observation

is consistent with Cornford (2005), Down & Hager (1999) and Henry (1994) and suggests that

PBL has been a successful pedagogical innovation. Although the study was conducted with a

small scale learning cohort, the satisfactory results imply that it may have application for larger

groups. Consideration may need to be given to the scope of project scenarios and the facilities

available and caution is advised if PBL is implemented in the lower AQF levels of Certificate and

Diploma where fundamental technical proficiency needs to be firmly established.

Secondly, assumptions regarding the incongruity of each of the behaviourist/constructivist

approaches to learning in a Training Package environment are discussed in Section 3.2.1. As the

Training Package experience has become more familiar to the RMIT teaching cohort, the notion

of competency based training and assessment being incompatible with PBL has been dispelled

and replaced with a realisation that PBL does offer a high degree of flexibility that can be

accommodated within a competence based regime, in particular the learning and assessment of

higher order competencies. We can conclude that this research study has capitalised on the

innovative teaching strategies available to Training Package developers as described by Hawke &

Cornford (1998) and Waterhouse (2000). Teachers involved in this study moved from being

‘compliant’ to ‘creative’ and still fulfilled the statutory requirements of Training Packages.

Thirdly, the research study has highlighted the changed role of the teacher in the PBL classroom

from transmitter of knowledge to facilitator of independent learning. It has brought forth a more

subtle, more complex and perhaps more reflective practitioner. Section 6.3 highlights the

significant areas of changed practice, notably in the area of team teaching. RMIT Fashion’s

utilisation of a team teaching approach to develop and deliver the Advanced Diploma (Fashion)

Program allowed teachers to access colleagues’ specialist skills and foster a wider network of

information and resources. Although Chapter Six identifies literature that suggests prudence

when selecting the teacher pairings, the RMIT Fashion experience was relatively trouble free.

7.3 Unexpected Outcomes of the Research

Section 6.4 notes that the correct sequencing of projects and the use of exemplars appeared to

assist the learning continuum of the student participants in this research study. This could not be

foreseen at the commencement of the research study and was only uncovered as a result of the

Participatory Action Research inquiry process undertaken as part of the investigation.

Assessment frameworks developed for the Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program proved to be

consistently challenging throughout the duration of the research study. Literature presented in

Section 6.5 recognises the linkages between teaching, learning and assessment and supports the

findings that assessment of higher AQF level competencies can be inherently difficult, possibly

requiring a holistic approach. This issue continues to be vexatious and remains, at the time of

writing, less than ideal in capturing the full scope of workplace competency.

7.4 Limitations

This research study is limited to the development and implementation of a single Training

Package Program located in an institutional environment. Therefore the results are highly

situational and could be influenced, in part, by factors such as (a) the immediate physical

environment and (b) the demographic of a specific learner group. Solomon (2003) in Section 6.3

refers to the foregrounding of work within an educational context as influential in producing

capable and competent graduates. As acknowledged in Section 2.5, RMIT Fashion students have

access to excellent facilities and equipment of a standard similar to that which is currently located

in the fashion industry. No claim is being made that exposure to the latest equipment guarantees

competence, however it has been beneficial to reinforce a workplace focus.

An overwhelming majority of learner groups who took part in the research were school leavers

who had never worked in the fashion industry. This is consistent with Smith’s (2002)

observations discussed in Section 3.2.1. Although this study has been limited to a specific group

of TAFE participants, there is scope for other VET providers with different site arrangements to

consider the PBL model of delivery.

The voice of employer groups has been silent throughout this study. This is because the

investigation has concentrated on pedagogy and praxis. Much has been written about the needs

of industry, in fact the Training Packages exemplify this. Whilst recognition is given to the

important role of industry partners involved in this particular case study, the study has sought to

focus more on the design and development of a suitable learning model in TAFE.

7.5 Recommendations and Implications

Training Packages have prompted renewed calls for flexible and innovative approaches to

learning, training, delivery and assessment. Section 3.3 posits PBL as a model of innovative

practice but its implementation has required teachers and learners to adopt significant changes in

attitude and behaviours. Evidence provided in Section 5 suggest this has been a positive

development leading to improved, lifelong learning habits and more flexible teaching practices.

Whilst the implementation of PBL into a Training Package Program at RMIT TAFE may be

innovative in this particular context, others may not find it to be so. This Action Research Project

has endeavoured to generate ‘actionable’ knowledge with the purpose of changing professional

practice and in this particular instance, it has been successful. The research has implications for

further inquiry by other Training Package developers as a contemporary model of vocational

learning.

7.6 The Research Experience

My experience during this research study uncovered rich learning across the discipline of

teaching praxis and served as a reminder to me that there is still much to discover. I am

embracing the notion of becoming a lifelong learner alongside my students and am grateful for

the opportunity to be introduced to the form of collective, self-reflective inquiry that is action

research. I now have the ability to review my own practice more thoroughly whilst facing the

truth that my ideas may not always work. As I have searched the prescribed methodologies to

support hunches I’ve developed, I have noticed that the research has undoubtedly added more

rigour to my practice, making me more accountable for what I do. In a broader sense, it has

brought me to the realisation that in spite of changing conditions in VET, there is still scope for

the realisation of imaginative and innovative pedagogical practice.

APPENDICES

List of Appendices Appendix A Implementation of Strategic Review recommendations Appendix B School of Fashion Group Forum Appendix C 2002 – 2004 Learner Survey Template and Responses Appendix D Questionnaire 2003 Template and Responses Appendix E Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 Appendix F Student Experience Survey 2006 Appendix G Annual Program Report 2002 Appendix H Annual Program Report 2003

Appendix A .............. Implementation of Strategic Review recommendations

Appendix B School of Fashion Group Forum (page 1 of 3)

Appendix B School of Fashion Group Forum cont’d (page 2 of 3)

Appendix B School of Fashion Group Forum cont’d (page 3 of 3)

100

(a) To be work ready (b) To develop own skills in a particular area (c) To be an independent learner (d) To be self responsible (e) To fill in the year before looking for a job (f) Other – please describe

Appendix C 2002 – 2004 Learner Survey ADVANCED DIPLOMA PROGRAM LEARNER SURVEY What has been your personal aim in participating in the Advanced Diploma Program?

How have you gone about achieving your personal goals? What else do I need to make this happen? What has changed about your approach to this kind of work during the course of the year? Do you think you have become a more independent learner? In what way? Give a story to illustrate this. (Use the reverse side of paper if necessary)

J.WrightLearnerSurvey2002

Learner Survey 2002: Student Responses:

101

What has been your personal aim in participating in the Ad Dip

1. to be work ready 2. to develop own skills in a particular area 3. to be self responsible 4. to fill in the year before looking for a job 5. other please describe

1 = 3 responses 2 = 7 responses 3 = 6 responses 4 = 5 responses 5 = 3 responses 6 = other please describe 0 responses How have you gone about achieving your personal goals

• “Working responsibly by tuning into the teachers advice and knowledge. • Participating in competitions and any publicity for your work” • “returning back to school. Trying to gain work experience on free days • Talking to people in the industry job recruitments – asking for traineeships” • “I have stayed in the program even when things get too hard. I have also working in the areas I would like to in after I finish my Ad Dip.”

• “Become more self-reliable. Using my own initiative, become more aware of what my skills are and trying to improve them (not focussing on things that I’m not good at)” • “To develop my own skills in a particular area. I have improved in that area especially

in my patternmaking. To be an independent learner to not rely on my teachers for assistance and try to do it myself.”

• “Personal goals by: knowing my personal skills more better. Knowing what to do and how to achieve them: being more independent learner by looking up books for my information; and knowing my skills to get the job in the future.”

• “by learning and listening to every bit of knowledge and taking on board where my faults are and improving these areas. i.e. time management to lead to being a fashion designer”

What else do I need to make this happen?

• “You can never stop learning – so I guess, knowledge” • “To give me more encouragement in my patternmaking skills, and give me a push with I get stuck”

• “I need more self incarge and to belive that I can achive anything” • “More encouragement to take up every opportunity given” • “I need to get a full time job” • “Asking as many questions” • “Enjoyment of the work being done – you need this to be motivated”

102

What has changed about your approach to this kind of work during the course of the year? • “Become more independent and responsible – I have matured a lot and become a lot more self confident through the work I have done”

• “knowing that I have come back to school because I want to, and to really appreciate the fact that I want to learn the inside and out of patternmaking. I have learnt that a fantastic patternmaker was not born overnight, it’s a learnt trade.” • “I have changed my mind about what area I’d like to work in and I think I have become more open minded about the fashion industry.” • “When I first started this course, I felt like I was wasting my time, then as the year

progressed, I realised that the subjects where (sic) set out to get us ready for working in the industry and using our own initiative.”

• “I become to set myself a chart and try to follow it” • “Changed: handing work with a deadline date. Handing it in by working with a gantt chart. Also learning garment s with difficult styles and learning different patterns” • “My attitude towards time management definitely. The attitude in the industry and

how it really is – being realistic about it. I also try to find out things by myself and get help at the same time which is a good combination.”

Do you think you have become a more independent learner? In what way? Give a story to illustrate this?

• Time management • Take responsibility for own actions • Ask for help when I need it • Accept constructive criticism and not be intimidated by it, but improve from it • I used to be ‘good enough is near enough’ and now I really try to perfect what I am doing. I am happy to take on more responsibility whereas before I hated doing anything

• Working with a gantt chart helped me with more independent learner because last year we were given a lot of dates, but no guide lines on what to do and how many weeks. Also, last year we were given a lot of subject to do, and had to put everything together, but this year, we had to do al of these ourselves, but it gare me more independent o my learning, than last year.

• Oh, definitely. I believe now I am ready to find myself a job. • Yes. I have put more of my skills and ability into this 3rd project as I feel like I am capable of completing it to a satisfactory level. • At the start of the year I looked at the teacher to tell me what to do, how to do it and

why. I found that they did not have all the answers. I wanted to be told and this made everything very difficult for me and my work.

• I was at the point of dropping out of the course when I chose to finish the project I was working on first and doing it how I think I should do it. I found that everything started to fall into place. • After that I have found I have become a more independent learner and I have found I am now enjoying the course a lot more.

• Purchasing books appropriate to patternmaking and sewing. • Asking questions

103

Appendix D ............................................. Questionnaire 2003 Template and Responses

Questionnaire April 4, 2003

Advanced Diploma (Fashion) Program

Question 1: How do you feel about the Project you have just completed and what are your feelings regarding the next Project? Question 2: Can you give an example of an occasion when you didn’t confront a difficult issue? Question 3: What do you regard as the biggest danger to your success? Question 4: At what stage did you commit to the Project? Question 5: What do you most need from RMIT and your teachers? Question 6: What aspects of the Program have helped you the most? Question 7: How can you apply what you’ve learnt to your life outside RMIT? Question 8: How can you contribute to the strength of the class?

104

•

I am pleased with the project result. This is the most time and effort I’ve put into a project. Its good to know what to expect.

STUDENT RESPONSES QUESTIONNAIRE: 2003

1.How would you evaluate your performance now that the first project is complete?

• Happy, Proud. • Personal issues got in the way but I’m glad its over. • Concerned due to the amount of work and short time frame. • Tired, relieved happy it’s over because I know I will be more organized next time. • I believe I did well. I have received some positive feedback from my target market. • I feel proud that I I able to complete this project without dropping out. • I needed more time. • I feel quite good about the project; I felt I did the best that I could-I managed my time satisfactorily. It’s hard to get the ball rolling and motivation to do it all over again.

2.What would you do differently next time?

3.What stopped you from completing necessary tasks?

I often put things off because I can’t be bothered or something better to do.

• • Get the report organized earlier. • Confront problems earlier and don’t put off because of fear of failure. • Time management. • Better Quality. • Better work/life balance. • Bit more enthusiastic but realistic as to how much work is ahead. • Better organised. • Monitor the Gantt chart better. • Do designing and storyboards over the holidays so I don’t get behind. • Time management. • More organised. • Afraid to ask for help. • Didn’t speak up. • Motivation. • Giving up too easily. • Lack of organisation. • Procrastination. • Disregarding the report till the end. • Thinking I’ve got more time than I really have. • Not following the Gantt chart. • • Not confronting external suppliers. • Scared of failing or not doing as well as others so practiced avoidance. • Rushing things at the last minute. • Not asking for help in case it meant more rework for me. • Couldn’t commit to final designs, missed a few classes and I putting off my work & wasted time

to start making my patterns.

• Lack of research led to non commitment to design. • 2/3 of the way thru I realized that I didn’t have time to complete so started to work harder. I

became more prepared before class. I changed my behaviour when I I required to present first.

• • 2 weeks before due date I wrote a list of things to do and realized that I may fail – I always knew

in my head that I would get it done because I did in the past.

4.Can you recall the time when you decided to change your (cid:1)ehaviour?

• Better organized towards the end of project. • 2 weeks before due date decided to start. • 2 weeks before the due date. • Leaving it till last 2 weeks then consulting gantt chart.

105

5.How can you apply what you’ve learnt in 3rd year to being employable?

• Recognising strengths and weaknesses. • More confidence in yourself and your work. • Get over it and get on with it. • Be responsible for your own outcome. • Don’t put anything off: do it when you get it. • Learning to work with people you may not always get along with. • Time management in all areas of life. • Work/life balance. • Prioritising. • Forced to find connections – networking. • Forced to work to a deadline. • Dealing with industry whilst being a student. • Feel more responsible and professional but can still enjoy myself and have fun. • Work methodically. • The ability to do more than one task at a time. • Quick deadlines. • Learnt to delegate responsibility when I need to. I learnt to work as a team member and listen to

others and open my mind to other ways of thinking.

• Presentation, selling yourself. • Being able to cope with failure – not the right person for the job. There is always something you

can do to make it work instead of fail.

Improved technical skills.

• Work/life balance. • Improved my research skills and contact with suppliers. • Enabling me to finish tasks faster and with less pressure. • Gained more confidence in dealing with suppliers and sourcing my fabrics and trims. • • Pressure, workload and deadlines. • Business plan help to get loan and essential for beginning business. • Supporting/encouraging other class members. • Positive attitude. • Giving feedback to teachers about downfalls or positives of class/course. • Help others. • Show 2nd and 1st years the high standards expected. • Help others and promote the course. • Being friendly and making sure people are coping. By doing this I I pleasantly surprised that I I

receiving the same treatment and help in return.

6.What can you contribute to the strength of the team and what are you willing to take responsibility for?

I can support class members in stressful times and help them if I am able to.

• Positive attitude. • Effective team member. • Provide my help in areas that I am strong in. • • More commitment. • More info relating to the course at the start of the project at the start of the day.As much practical

advice as possible.

7.What do you need from your teachers?

• Maybe a one day workshop on presentation skills. • Need more tutorials on teachers area of expertise, but overall like this way of working – to do the

work myself and get help with problem areas.

• Time management skills. • Motivators. • Help with production techniques and toiling. • Need teachers to check my work all the time so I can be updated. • More individual time. • Knowledge about industry. • Help with interview skills and resumes.

106

Strengths of the Program

• Being critical. • Industry specs. • It has pushed my capabilities I am now able to handle greater workload.

107

Appendix E ................................................................. Student Satisfaction Survey 2002

108

Appendix E Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 cont’d page 2 of 7

109

Appendix E Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 cont’d page 3 of 7

110

Appendix E Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 cont’d page 4 of 7

111

Appendix E Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 cont’d page 5 of 7

112

Appendix E Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 cont’d page 6 of 7

113

Appendix E Student Satisfaction Survey 2002 cont’d page 7 of 7

114

Appendix F .................................................................. Student Experience Survey 2006

School: Respondents:

STUDENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY 2006

Fashion & Textiles 12

25% 67% 8% 0% 0%

0% 0% 17% 67% 0% 0%

100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

33% 67%

83% 8%

0% 17% 83%

Age <20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45+ Citizenship % Australian % International

Program Name: Adv Dip TextilesClothgFootwear DSC Portfolio: Program Code: C6025 Demographics (% of total sample size) Commencement Year Pre 2002 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Program Type TAFE Certificate TAFE Diploma Other

Location Brunswick Bundoora East Bundoora West City City-Tivoli Distance Workplace Other LOTE Yes No

100% 0%

25% 75%

Gender Male Female

0% 100%

Disability Yes No

100% 0%

8% 83%

42% 8% 0% 0% 33%

100% 0% 0%

17% 0% 17% 42% 0% 0% 0% 0% 17%

Rural relocate Yes No Are you studying for an Apprenticeship or Traineeship? No Apprenticeship Traineeship

90%

Main Funds Source Employment Cadetship Youth Allow/Austudy Family AusAid/IDP Home Government Scholarship Loan Savings

Attendance Type Full Time Part Time Final year of program Yes No Employment Part Time (<14 hrs) Part Time (15-20 hrs) Part Time (21-34 hrs) Full Time (35+ hrs) Not at all Snapshot Scales 2006 Good Teaching

Prepared by Survey Services Centre Student Experience Survey

Page 114 of 136

115

Scale

78% 100%

Generic Skills Scale Overall

116

Section One - Student Experience

Good Teaching Scale

Strongly

No. of

%AGREE 90.3%

Disagree

Agree

Students

1. My instructors have a thorough knowledge of the course assessment 2. My instructors provide opportunities to ask questions 3. My instructors treat me with respect 4. My instructors understand my learning needs 5. My instructors communicate the course content effectively 6. My instructors make the course as interesting as possible

0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

0% 0% 8% 8% 0% 0%

0% 8% 8% 8% 0% 17%

33% 33% 42% 50% 75% 42%

67% 58% 42% 33% 25% 42%

12 12 12 12 12 12

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Disagree Neutral

Agree

Strongly

No. of

Generic Skills Scale

%AGREE 77.8%

Disagree

Agree

Students

12. My training develops my problem solving skills 13. My training sharpens my analytical skills 14. My training helps me develop my ability to work as a team member 15. My training improves my skills in written communication 16. My training helps me to develop the ability to plan my own work 17. As a result of my training, I feel more confident about tackling unfamiliar problems

0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

0% 0% 0% 25% 0% 0%

17% 25% 8% 25% 17% 17%

50% 50% 67% 50% 67% 50%

33% 25% 25% 0% 17% 33%

12 12 12 12 12 12

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Disagree Neutral

Agree

Appropriate Assessment Scale

Strongly

No. of

%AGREE 75.9%

Disagree

Agree

Students

7. I know how I am going to be assessed 8. The way I am assessed is a fair test of my skills 9. I am assessed at appropriate intervals 10. I receive useful feedback on my assessment

11. The assessment is a good test of what I was taught

0% 8% 0% 0% 0%

33% 8% 8% 50% 10%

50% 50% 58% 8% 60%

17% 33% 33% 42% 30%

0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

12 12 12 12 10

Strongly

No. of

Learning Experience Scale

%AGREE 91.7%

Disagree

Agree

Students

12 12 12 12

0% 0% 0% 0%

8% 17% 0% 8%

50% 67% 50% 50%

42% 17% 50% 42%

0% 0% 0% 0%

18. My training makes me more confident about my ability to learn 19. I gain the skills I want to learn from my training 20. As a result of my training, I am more positive about achieving my goals 21. My training helps me think about new opportunities in life

Strongly

Overall

%AGREE 100.0%

Disagree

Agree

Valid

12 0%

67%

33%

22. Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of this training

Prepared by Survey Services Centre Student Experience Survey

Contact: L. Armstrong laurie.armstrong@rmit.edu.au

Page 2 of 136

117

Section Two - Campus Life

Strongly

Learning Support

Disagree

Agree

Valid

Library 1. I am satisfied with the Library's e-resources collection 2. I am satisfied with the Library's book collections 3. Library staff provide quality service 4. The Library's study facilities are adequate 5. Library opening hours meet my needs

0% 8% 0% 0% 9%

18% 17% 8% 8% 9%

9% 8% 25% 25% 18%

36% 33% 50% 42% 36%

36% 33% 17% 25% 27%

11 12 12 12 11

Computing Facilities

Strongly

Disagree

Agree

Valid

0% 0% 0% 0%

8% 18% 9% 9%

17% 18% 36% 27%

42% 0% 45% 36%

33% 64% 9% 27%

I am satisfied with… 1. Access to computer facilities at RMIT 2. Access to the specialist software I require 3. The availability of computer printing facilities 4. The standard of service from computing support staff

12 11 11 11

Strongly

Learning Support Services

Disagree

Agree

Valid

63%

0% 0%

13% 0% 100%

25% 0%

I am satisfied with… 1. Study support 2. English language support (International Students)

8 3

Online Services

No. of

Students

Yes

1. Have you ever accessed online activities and materials provided by your program?

82%

18%

11

Very

Valid

33%

67%

Satisfied 0%

0%

Dissatisfied 0%

9 0%

11%

89%

0%

9

2. Were you satisfied with the standard of online materials you accessed? 3. Were you satisfied with the standard of online activities you accessed?

Strongly

Agree

Valid

Disagree 44%

22%

0%

33%

0%

9

4. It's difficult for me to access the World Wide Web

0 hrs

1 - 10 hrs 10 - 20 hrs 20 + hrs

Valid

Communication

0%

36%

55%

9%

11

During the semester how many hours per week do you spend studying outside of lectures, tutorials and lab classes?

Very

No. of

Once or

3 or 4

Infrequently

Twice

times

Frequently Students

0%

25%

0%

75%

12 17%

0%

8%

75%

12

During the semester how many times per week do you discuss academic work with teaching staff? During the semester how many times per week do you discuss academic work with other

students?

Strongly

No. of

Strongly

Campus Life and Environment

Agree

8% 8% 17%

33% 25% 42%

58% 67% 42%

Students 12 12 12

0% 0% 0%

Disagree 0% 0% 0%

17%

58%

25%

0%

12 27% 45%

27% 36%

9% 9%

27% 0%

11 11

50%

33%

8%

0%

8%

12

I feel personally safe on campus RMIT is friendly to people from all backgrounds I am treated with respect at RMIT I would like to have more contact with students in other programs The RMIT campus is a good place to spend time outside classes I am satisfied with the Orientation programs run I feel empowered by being involved in programs / activities run by students for students

Contact: L. Arms

Prepared by Survey Services Centre Student Experience Survey

laurie.armstrong@rmit.edu.au

Page 3 of 136

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Didn't know

Could not

No. of

Student Services

Have used this service

Use own community service

Not needed this service

about it

find it

Students

Use of services The Hub Health advice and treatment Financial and scholarship advice Counselling services Career planning and advice Disability support Housing advice and assistance International students advisory services

0% 36% 9% 10% 0% 0% 0% 0%

0% 27% 64% 70% 80% 82% 80% 91%

0% 0% 18% 10% 10% 9% 10% 0%

0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

100% 36% 9% 10% 10% 9% 10% 9%

11 11 11 10 10 11 10 11

Building and Facilities

Strongly

No. of

Disagree

Agree

Students

Are the following areas clean, well maintained well ventilated and at a comfortable temperature

Classrooms Lecture Theatres Laboratories General access computer labs Toilets Lifts

0% 14% 0% 43% 14% 14%

43% 29% 60% 14% 14% 29%

29% 57% 40% 43% 71% 57%

0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

29% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

7 7 5 7 7 7

Strongly

No. of

Strongly

Administration and access

Agree

Students

Disagree

Time tabling and room bookings are well organised RMIT deals fairly with complaints RMIT has kept an accurate record of my name/address I received accurate/timely info about my enrolment If I had a complaint about RMIT I would know who to go to RMIT effectively resolves any administration issues

9% 18% 0% 18% 36% 18%

36% 36% 27% 18% 27% 36%

55% 36% 36% 27% 36% 36%

0% 0% 36% 27% 0% 0%

0% 9% 0% 9% 0% 9%

11 11 11 11 11 11

Strongly

No. of

Outcomes

Disagree

Agree

Students

As an RMIT graduate I will be highly employable As an RMIT graduate I will be able to run my own business RMIT will take notice of the results of this survey

0% 8% 8%

0% 0% 17%

33% 50% 33%

50% 33% 42%

17% 8% 0%

12 12 12

Notes The scale %AGREE is calculated by adding up all the items scored Agree/Strongly Agree across all respondents This is divided by the total number of items answered across all respondents. Blanks, doubles or N/A's are excluded. Percentages represent the %age of the total valid responses per question, with the exception of the demographics section which represents the %age of total responses. Charts are rescaled on valid responses to total 100%. An asterisk (*) indicates a negatively worded question recoded to calculate %AGREE. Values may round to 101%

Prepared by Survey Services Centre Student Experience Survey

Contact: L. Armstrong laurie.armstrong@rmit.edu.au

Page 4 of 136

119

Strongly

No. of

The Student Union

Disagree

Agree

Students

Undecided 44%

0%

22%

11%

22%

9 0%

18%

36%

9%

36%

11 20% 0%

20% 27%

30% 36%

10% 9%

20% 27%

10 11

9%

18%

27%

18%

27%

11 0%

18%

45%

11

Effectively represents students' interests to the University Campaigns and provides information and resources seeking to improve conditions for students Would provide valuable support and advice if I had problem with a course or teacher Provides the opportunity to get involved in clubs & collectives Provides opportunities for students to access social activities such as bands, competitions, tickets and short courses. Provides a valuable resource in its student media, such as Catalyst, SYN FM and RMITV

Not Important

Undecided

Very Important

Lesser importance

More importance

No. of Students

RMIT Union - Importance

11% 0% 0% 0% 9% 10% 0% 0% 0% 10%

0% 22% 0% 0% 0% 0% 33% 0% 0% 0%

56% 44% 22% 18% 36% 30% 22% 20% 33% 10%

0% 11% 67% 82% 36% 60% 11% 60% 22% 30%

33% 22% 11% 0% 18% 0% 33% 20% 44% 50%

Information and hire services Lounge space Photocopying\binding services Quality of food Vending machines Retail outlets Sport fitness and rec. services Visual arts, performing arts, gallery Legal and tax and accidents insurance Dental service

9 9 9 11 11 10 9 10 9 10

Very

No. of

RMIT Union - Satisfaction

Dissatisfied

Neither

Satisfied

Students

0% 0% 0% 20% 10% 11% 0% 13% 0% 0%

14% 33% 14% 50% 20% 22% 13% 13% 0% 0%

14% 17% 43% 0% 10% 0% 0% 0% 13% 25%

0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

71% 50% 43% 30% 60% 67% 88% 75% 88% 75%

7 6 7 10 10 9 8 8 8 8

Prepared by Survey Services Centre Student Experience Survey

Contact: L. Armstrong laurie.armstrong@rmit.edu.au

Page 5 of 136

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Appendix G ........................................................................ Annual Program Report 2002

121

122

123

124

Appendix H ...................................................................... Annual Program Report 2003

125

126

127

128

129

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